Hello everyone, and welcome to the newest chapter! I'm so sorry for the extensive delay in my uploading this chapter. My day job's schedule has recently expanded considerably, and as such has left me with much less time for writing; on top of the physical exhaustion that results from it.

As such, I've made the very difficult decision that until my work schedule opens up more, this story will now be uploading a new chapter every other Saturday, instead of on a weekly basis. So instead of the next chapter coming out next week from today, it will instead be on the following Saturday after. I hope you can all live with this change, because this is the last kind of decision I ever wanted to make in regards to this story.

I'm also looking at a good portion of this chapter as a test in seeing if I can truncate the length of certain scenes without sacrificing the intended effect and emotion of scenes by sacrificing the padding of constant dialogue, since I know the constant super-long chapters can be a great turn-off for many potential readers. Please let me know if this works for you all in this chapter or not.

Thank you all for your continued readership and support; thank you to my two continuing beta readers and consultants, Jonny and Carlos; and thank you to the current roster of supporting fan-artists: Syyndev, Akane Kahomi, AliceKuroCross, Suki-Chan2509, effasempai, Eliza-Frost, Vanera-Taro, Shalissey-N, and Yumake.

My Hero Academia is the property of Kouhei Horikoshi and Shonen Jump. I only own my original characters and the original events surrounding them.

A/N: [[]] indicates that characters are contextually speaking Russian.

Chapter 131

Holiday Season

(Сезон Отпусков)

Yuuei Academy, Saturday, December 20th

This had been a very exciting day not just for the students of Class 1-A, but for the students of every Course that Yuuei had to offer, and it was not simply for the fact that this was their last day of school before winter break would finally come.

No, that had been exciting enough, but now all of them had their hearts all but literally lodged in their throats, as Principal Nezu had called for an unexpected assembly after the final bell for the day had already rung. Considering the last time he had called for a surprise gathering of all the students had been to announce the supposedly temporary hiatus of all Pro Hero Internships, and the once-promising Hero Work Recommendation Project had already been suspended less than a week after it had been put into effect, it was only understandable that the students would all dread just what news he could have that could possibly be more disappointing.

Instead, he had lifted all of their spirits nearly out of their bodies entirely, as he had told them that the Hero Public Safety Commission had seen fit to reactivate the Internship program starting on New Years' Day, and that the students were all to either get in contact with their previous mentors to see about continuation, or send out their application forms to the Heroes of their choosing beforehand, lest they be left behind in Yuuei instead.

Even before having made it back to their dorms, the whole of Class A was abuzz with activity, if not excitement all around. Nikolay could certainly feel his blood flowing like he hadn't expected for a while, but he could likewise feel a heavy pounding of nervousness in his chest. It was certainly a far cry from Mina's current display, as she was literally skipping and twirling with every step, practically aglow in the orange light of the evening sun while holding a single pink envelope in her hand as though it were her veritable ticket into Heaven.

"Oh my God, I can't believe this is finally happening! It's been so long, I was worrying I'd start getting literal rust before Nezu-sensei would finally give us our internships back! Oh, I don't wanna tear this after I went through all the trouble I did making it! Kolya-kun, guys, you've seen my hand writing before; you don't think it's totally illegible, do you? What about my language? You think it'd be enough to make a good impression with a super high-level Pro Hero like Mirko? I've been checking online constantly to see if she has an Agency or not, and just a couple days ago I finally found that she now does!"

Nikolay had only been confused for a moment once his girlfriend had pulled the envelope from out her backpack, but when considering the recent news and her above-average abundant energy, it didn't take much for him to realize it had to be her application form, as well as the fact that since she'd literally never truly left his sight since the assembly, just how long ago she had to have written it and then only recently gotten to put an address to it.

The rest of their classmates were visibly exercising the same delicate balance between consideration and excitement, as Momo answered dutifully to her pink friend's anxious questions that barely betrayed her own well-hidden nervousness. "I see no reason why any Pro Hero would be dissuaded from at least considering you if your writing reflects you as a person, Ashido-san. However, I've never heard any instances of Mirko taking on any interns in the several years she's been around, so I would just ask you to temper your expectations for your own good. Although, I suppose that could have been considering she is more of a traveling Hero than a stationary one like most of the others, unless that's actually now changed."

While Mina's step lost but a little of its appropriate pep; Nikolay likewise turned to Tenya at his side, making quick notice of the serious glimmer in his eyes. It was all too understandable; considering that he and Tetsutetsu, Yui and Pony from Class B had all lost their shared mentor back in Hokkaido. "What are you and your old partners going to do for your own internships, Iida-san?"

When Tenya turned to address him; Nikolay could breathe easy when seeing there was a very slight smile of appreciation for his tact when bringing this up. "I'm not entirely sure yet, Bezpalov-san. You're not the first person to ask me this, though; even before Nezu-sensei's assembly. I've simply been affirming myself of going back to Gagaringrad with the others and lighting the torch for Knightfall-sensei's memorial together, before we can fully dedicate ourselves to finding a new Hero to train under. In fact, the beginning of winter break tomorrow presents the opportunity I wish we'd had right after the fact to do so. I need to get in contact with them and see if they're free, and just as willing."

Nikolay already began to think back to how visibly emotional he'd seen Tenya's Class B partners get ever since the Gagaringrad incident, whenever the topic of their fallen teacher came up. It was with that thought and that image in mind that he answered with exceptional certainty: "I think they will be, Iida-san. In fact, I wouldn't mind going back up there to see how everyone in town and the Kapenta Hero Agency are doing these days, myself. Of course, I don't mean to impose, so if you would rather go as your own group, I would understand."

However, before Tenya could answer in either positive or negative; the two boys suddenly found themselves being intruded upon by a bright-eyed Mina, still smiling from ear to ear. "What's this I'm hearing? A return trip to Hokkaido? That sounds like an awesome idea! If I'm gonna be training under Mirko, there's no way I'm just not gonna tell De-Condenser-sensei and the others! Besides, all those kids in that town deserve to know just what Pro to keep their ears open for so they can see me every step of the way!"

As Mina was once again squirming with the irresistible anticipation for their internships to already begin again; Kyouka made her presence known with a similar knowing smirk at Nikolay's other side. "Well, Mina-san sounds like she's already made up her mind. Me, I'm feeling really good about how I left things off with Blast Beat-sensei, so I think I'm gonna stick around. What about you, Kolya-san? I mean, with Gagaringrad alone, you've already pretty much got a whole adoring public."

Nikolay's chuckle came out more like a muscle reflex-born wheeze as he rolled his eyes. "Oh please, you know that town loves all of us for what we did; it's far from just me. And besides, I'm not sure if I'll be staying up there, either. Mina's eagerness for Mirko just got me thinking about how important it is to diversify who we learn from…and I need to be able to learn how to truly hold my own just as well solo as I could when it was all of us together…assuming she doesn't get rejected, of course."

Kyouka couldn't help but chuckle at how Nikolay made the effort to make his final point in a whisper, in order to not risk dampening Mina's sky-high spirits.

However, from just behind them, they hadn't realized how Maja Kieslowska had been inadvertently listening in on their whole conversation while engaging in yet another spirited conversation with Eijirou and Tooru about their decisions for their own returning internships, all while silently lamenting the fact she was the odd girl out without a Provisional Hero License to permit her to join in with them.

At the first moment she could see to make her own voice heard, she hurriedly strode a couple steps so she could be heard loud and clear: "Hey, sorry to interrupt, but…it sounds like you guys were all thinking of going back up to Gagaringrad soon? If so…do you think it'd be possible to see about me going up with you? I know we'd need a teacher to come with us to keep an eye on me and all, and I'm okay with that. I just…I've been starting to get that homesick feeling for the last couple days, and I think seeing my folks and everyone from town could do me just as much good as all of you."

Maja made an admirable effort to try and maintain a self-confident demeanor when explaining her reasoning. For all intents and purposes, she sounded as if the decision had already been made, and she was simply saying how things were going to be. However, within her head, she was already bracing herself for even just a sign of doubt on her friends' faces as to whether she would have any chance of leaving the school grounds with them.

And it was with this thought still lingering in the back of her mind, that the sight of equally confident smiles on all four of the students' faces in response, made her whole body grow warmer from inside, before Nikolay kindly answered: "Say no more, Maja-san. I'm sure my Dad would be more than happy to come with us up there so you can come with, no matter when. Honestly, I feel like him seeing the people there with his own eyes could do a world of good for everyone all around. You coming along would just make things feel all the more complete."

Maja had to fight the beginning of grateful tears in her eyes as she could already picture the looks of happiness on the faces of her parents and the Gagaringrad people. As she ruminated on this pleasant possibility; not only were Tenya and Nikolay already texting the Class B students and Tunguska respectively to make their respective proposals to head up for Hokkaido; but Mina was similarly already taking the initiative of asking Momo if she and her own former internship partners were going to come back up with them; namely pointing out the fact that the citizens had built a whole memorial statue of every single one of them, and that it would only truly feel right if every one of them and their former teachers would be able to make it.

Arakisu City, Hokkaido, Sunday, December 21st

The biting cold of the early morning in December up in Hokkaido made the winter temperatures back down at Yuuei feel like spring by comparison. In its own way, that cold only added onto the building unease that Tunguska felt in the pit of his stomach, ever since Nikolay had asked him to come up with them to Gagaringrad, so that Maja could be able to see her family again.

From the moment they had gotten on board their train and it had started to move, the students were all abuzz with excitement, as though they hadn't seen the people of the town in years, rather than but a few months. Naturally, Mina was the most verbal: "Oh man, I can't wait to see everyone again! It almost feels like we're walking into a surprise party for the whole town! I wonder if they're actually expecting us!"

By comparison, Momo was far more withdrawn and professional in her own answer: "Given how busy they're all bound to have been with repairing the damage from the battle over the last few months, I can't imagine they've made any such festive preparations even if they were expecting us. We should perhaps simply view this less as a party, and more as though we were doing our due diligence and personally seeing how everyone has been coping."

However, when it came to their Class B companions, it was obviously Neito who was the most energetic, but with far less bubbly airs, as he was wearing the smuggest smile on his face, arms crossed and all: "Obviously they've managed themselves well enough if all their letters and calls since then are to be believed. Don't get so up on your high horse that you have to look at them as babies incapable of looking after themselves, Class A. I for one am eager to see this apparent statue they made in our honor. Surely they're of sound enough mind and body to recognize who pulled the most weight back then, so prepare to see your classes' place as a footnote in Class B's shadow officially immortalized!"

While Nikolay's classmates and the students of their rival class began to engage in a good-natured back-and-forth argument over who did the most of what; the young Russian himself was primarily seeing how nervous Maja was, as she was keeping her eyes glued to the floor, clasping her hands together tight enough to turn her knuckles white. He couldn't exactly blame her; no matter how much her parents and the townsfolk had clearly been all for having her go to Yuuei as an alternate means of serving her sentence for her role beforehand, it was only natural she would be going through some serious anxiety at the thought of seeing them all again for the first time as an officially recognized Hero student.

By that same merit, could he likewise only imagine why his father sitting next to him was looking very much the same way, rigid as a marble sculpture, while also already sweating bullets. This would likewise be the first time Oleg had presented himself openly to any of his countrymen in over a decade. Even for how grateful as they were for what Nikolay and his friends had done for them; their former Number One Hero would be a different story altogether.

Nikolay had a pretty good idea what answer he was going to get, but for how much time as their journey still had, he just knew it would ultimately help to get his father to talk at all beforehand. [[Dad…are you feeling okay?]]

Oleg momentarily jolted with surprise at the sound of his son's voice, but upon seeing the clear concern in Nikolay's eyes, the man hurriedly cleared his throat, took a deep breath and sat himself back up straight. [[Of course, I'm perfectly fine, Kolya. Maybe not as well rested as I normally should be, but don't worry. I'll be right as rain by the time we finally get to Arakisu City. Why don't you sit and chat with your friends. After all, you kids are all the real stars of this show, so you'd best get yourself just as prepared as them.]]

Oleg's attempt to try and pass himself off as perfectly fine was semi-believable, and even he himself knew it just listening to himself. He could clearly see from the look on his son's face that he knew it as well. But, bless his youthful heart, his son simply nodded in acceptance before getting up, ready to head further up the car to join his fellow students. [[Okay, Dad. Maybe just…I don't know, try to get a little extra sleep along the way, all right? I know De-Condensor-sensei and the others will be really happy to meet you at least.]]

And so, Nikolay went to rejoin his friends, whom by now had not only noticed his arrival, but had also taken to urging Maja to join into the energetic and cheerful conversations as well, much to her embarrassment, before she ultimately found herself getting sucked into the mood, much to her benefit.

And all the while, Oleg simply watched them with an admiring look in his blue eyes. 'Maybe I'm going about this all wrong. This whole thing is ultimately for them, as thanks for everything they did by working together. This isn't about you, Oleg Sergeevich, so stop worrying so much like it is. Besides, you've already gotten to meet Kieslowska's parents, the town head and their priest, and they all seemed to have forgiven you. For Heaven's sake, take that for what it's worth, suck it up, and try to go into this with your head held high, if not for yourself, then for the sake of those kids there.'

This final note in particular, Oleg kept silently repeating to himself like a mantra, even when he tried to get some sleep, which made what should've been a trip with plenty of time for him to prepare, feel like virtually no time at all had passed by the time they'd finally crossed the undersea tunnel and had to make their switch in Sapporo to get to Arakisu City.

For the remainder of that trip, the older Hero felt his tension come ratcheting right back up, even when they'd finally reached their station and made the rest of their way to the Kapenta Hero Agency building; his son and students either ushering him on in their excitement, or having to actually try and guide him by his hands, once he'd felt his feet practically turn to lead in his anxiousness.

POPPOPOPOPOPOP!

"WELCOME BACK, YOU BRAVE YOUNG HEROES!"

The moment they had stepped over the threshold into the office, the whole group was met with a multitude of party poppers shattering the silence, before just as quickly being greeted en masse by the brightly smiling faces of all the Pro Heroes of the Kapenta Agency.

All at once, the lobby was abuzz with multiple excited and joyous exclamations and conversations between the students and Pros; De-Condenser making a beeline for Nikolay and Mina just as Blast Beat likewise met Kyouka with an eager fist-bump.

But while this was all going on, Oleg found himself unexpectedly getting collided into by the unmistakable plus-eyed, black-haired and delivery uniform-styled The Giver; the young female Pro Hero practically alight at the sight of the surprised older man. "Hey, Tunguska-san, long time no see! I'm so glad you were able to make it up here! I don't know how, but you somehow look even bigger than you did during the Pro Hero Exam! Can you believe how long it's been since then already?"

Being spoken to directly like this after all the initial introductions to her fellow Pros of this Agency was enough to finally help Oleg shake off his immediate nervousness as he answered his former partner in those trials. "Honestly, no. I would've thought getting older would make time feel as though it would go slower, but that's clearly not the case. I'd heard all about what you went through at Gagaringrad, so I'm glad to see it hasn't weighed you down any. Have you perhaps heard anything or kept in touch with any of the others we fought alongside from back then?"

At this, The Giver's gaze lowered slightly before she softly shook her head. "Nah, honestly, I didn't really know any of those people before we'd been thrown into the thick of it. I honestly like to think it was cause of you that we ultimately all pulled together…but even that doesn't make it any easier for us adults to maintain contact once we're out on our own like this."

Oleg's resulting sigh of empathy helped him to visibly ease up as he replied: "I can understand that all too well. Ever since I signed up to work alongside Fatgum-san, there hasn't been a single dull day. Sometimes it makes me feel like I did when I was first starting out all those years ago."

At the mention of the BMI Hero, The Giver's eyes visibly lit up. "Whoa, you're actually partnered up with Fatgum?! That's amazing, Tunguska-san! I'd heard he'd gotten involved in some huge raid of a yakuza compound right around the same time we were dealing with the Gagaringrad situation. If I'm getting the timing right, then does that mean you were there, too?"

All Oleg had to do was give a nod for her to completely get it, and thus proceed to tremble with excitement, all too eager to get all the firsthand details of the event as she could get out of the man, much to his already tired acceptance and reluctance.

At the same time as all this, Nikolay and Mina had immediately been approached and swept up into a three-person embrace by their former mentor, as De-Condenser's laughter echoed through the whole lobby: "Good God, is it good to see all you kids again, it feels like it's been ages already!"

"It's great to see you again too, Sensei! You all look like you've recovered completely." "I know, right? It looks like even Chiaroscuro-sensei's suddenly a couple decades younger from how she's moving!" Nikolay and Mina exclaimed happily at the sight of the Agency's head greeting and conversing with the rest of the students so energetically, to the point it practically betrayed her age.

"Well, it looks like getting called back into action was just the shot in the arm she needed. She's been going out into the field with us every chance she could get since then." High Noon chimed in with a grateful smile of her own, clearly having grown to be deeply grateful for such a change in their bosses' overall demeanor.

"Speaking of shots in the arm…get a load of this!" De-Condenser suddenly interjected, before suddenly lifting up his left arm for all the students paying attention to see. Soon, all eyes were wide with amazement at the clearly advanced prosthetic affixed to his left shoulder, showing a flexibility that would have almost fooled people into thinking it was still flesh and blood, if not for the obvious metal plating.

"Whoa, that looks amazing, Sensei!" Nikolay exclaimed instinctively, with soon more and more of his fellow students echoing the same sentiment, much to the Pro Hero's delight. "You all don't know the half of it. The Support industry is advancing by leaps and bounds these days, cause this baby is somehow able to replicate the half of my Quirk that I need it to. It's like I might as well have not lost the arm at all!"

As De-Condenser was already eagerly showing off his prosthetic arm and what it was able to help him keep doing, Chiaroscuro suddenly found herself being approached by Momo, who was currently in the middle of scanning the whole of the lobby. "Please excuse me, Chiaroscuro-sensei. I'm very grateful for all your hospitality on such short notice, but there isn't any chance Whiteout-sensei was informed of our coming here and chose to join in as well, is there? I just can't help but feel those of us who didn't intern with you all are intruding."

The older female Hero couldn't help but chuckle at Momo's overly formal and polite approach. "Please, don't carry yourself so stiffly, Creatie-chan; this is an occasion for celebration, so you can let yourself loosen up some; these last few months have certainly helped me do the same, myself. But regarding your question, I'm afraid not. We did reach out to Whiteout-san, and she did express the desire to make it here for you and your fellow interns, but unfortunately, she's been overwhelmed with work in her city for the last few months. I'm honestly surprised she didn't try to reach out to you so you could at least know this ahead of time and not have to worry.

"But, with the Internship programs having officially been reinstated, I wouldn't be surprised if she were to accept you and your friends right back in with open arms without question. We've all certainly come to feel as much for our returning students, ourselves." She concluded upon turning her gaze to Nikolay, Mina, Kyouka and Maja, who was currently in the middle of showing off her personalized Hero costume to all the other Kapenta Pros, to their visible delight and congratulations.

"So the buzz around the streets in town were true; our little Maja-chan is officially a Yuuei Academy student! I don't care what the circumstances are, it's enough to make any grown-up cry with pride." Blast Beat exclaimed, already trying to wipe his eyes clear while High Noon was simply smiling from ear to ear. "I can certainly imagine your parents couldn't keep their eyes dry to save their lives once they'd been given the news. How have you been adjusting to it so far?"

Maja, despite the embarrassed blush on her cheeks from presenting her official getup for the first time to the Pros she knew so well, was still smiling excitedly as she answered nervously: "Well, I'm standing here and not sitting in a jail cell, so I think that means I'm adjusting just fine. Everyone at school is really nice and they all have really cool Quirks, too. The only thing is that I don't have a license like everyone else, so I don't know what that's gonna mean for me once internships start up again."

With the mention of internships now being heard by everyone, De-Condenser's eyes were practically glowing with anticipation as he once more addressed Nikolay, Mina and Kyouka: "That's right; I'll bet you kids have all just been chomping at the bit to get back into action once the word was given! Things have been awfully quiet around here since Gagaringrad, empty even. Having you all around again will make everything feel whole again."

But his smile faltered when he saw a thoughtful glance exchanged between his two interns, before Nikolay answered: "Actually, Sensei, we've been thinking and talking a lot about this since then, and Mina and I…well, we're both basically agreed that it would be best for our Hero training if we were both to intern under different Pros on our own."

Nikolay couldn't help but look reluctant to have to be the one to dash their former instructor's hopes, but Mina was still all but literally bounding with excitement, recognizing the anticipation on all the Pro's faces as she continued: "That's right! I've already gone and sent my application letter out to the new Number Five Hero, Mirko! Apparently she only just recently got her own Agency, so I know I'm just in time!"

However, upon looking, she could see a distinct glimmer of sadness in all the Pro's eyes as The Giver said: "Well, you certainly haven't wasted any time aiming for the big leagues. Considering how your internships here ended last time, I personally would've thought you'd both want to try your hand here again without all the world-threatening threats this time."

"Yeah, I mean, we've shown you kids the evidence ourselves since then, you're all pretty much the Heroes of Gagaringrad as far as all the citizens are concerned. I'd think you'd want to relish in that while you could." High Noon chimed in agreement, all while Blast Beat had now turned an undeniably worried eye towards Kyouka. "Is transferring something you've been considering too, Earphone Jack-kun?"

Before any of the students could answer, though; Chiaroscuro raised a single hand up high, gaining everyone's attention. "Now, now, everyone, let's not get so dramatic. We all knew, deep down, that the chances of their internship with us turning into a full-blown partnership was very low. Can any one of us honestly say we stuck with the same Pro Heroes for our entire internships through school when we were their age? No. So how about, instead of fretting, we give these young tried and tested Heroes our blessings and wishes of good luck with whomever they end up learning under next?"

As her fellow Pros all thankfully got the message and began to politely applaud the gathering of teenagers before them, Kyouka finally cleared her throat and spoke up: "Well, I actually had personally been considering sticking around here with you guys for when internships start next year. Blast Beat-sensei and I really seem to work well with each other, especially for a less flashy Quirk like mine, so why would I want to risk messing that up?"

With an earnest chuckle, the Juke Box Hero stepped forward, placing a supportive hand on his former intern's shoulder. "I'm happy to hear you say that, Earphone Jack-kun, honestly…but Chiaroscuro-san is right, you know. I've taught you so much of what I came to know in all my years as a Hero in so little time; that's how great of a student you are. But there isn't much left that I could still be able to teach you, and I don't want you to think you should just attach yourself to the one teacher you have that has an appropriate Quirk and interests like yours.

"You could end up depriving yourself of such a bountiful education that other Heroes could be able to give you…and worst of all, I fear that in time, if you were to stay here with just me for those same reasons…you might end up coming to resent those very same interests for it. You've got the heart and soul of a real Hero and a real rock star. Don't let either of those things burn out like that; you're far too talented and full of untapped potential for it.

"So I say to all you kids who may or may not be decided in what to do with yourselves or your potential internships yet: go out there into the world, spread your wings, fly and see what you come across. That's just my two cents, but I know it needed to be said for all your sakes. So do with that what you will."

Kyouka, Tenya, Momo and all the Class B students looked visibly moved by Blast Beat's heartfelt speech, while Nikolay now looked completely resolute in his own unanimous decision; looking apologetically to De-Condenser, The Giver and the rest of the Kapenta Heroes. "Blast Beat-sensei's right, everyone. I'd been going back and forth about what I wanted to do, myself. After going through so much together; just like Mina and I did with the Kamuron Heroes in Erubi City; it genuinely felt like we'd gone beyond the simple mentor/intern dynamic…but now I know that looking elsewhere is ultimately the right choice for me as it is for everyone else. We just didn't want to make that decision without at least seeing you all again first."

Tunguska looked at his son and students' overall air of certainty and maturity with an approving and silent nod. To all of their relief; the Heroes altogether looked to be in unanimous approval of how much the students before them had truly matured since the last time they'd seen them. It was only natural for interns to develop an unbreakable bond with their mentors, so the idea of choosing a whole other Agency to go to would easily feel like a bitter betrayal. The fact they were all clearly of the similar mind of just what was best for all their growth, as none of them began to let their emotions get the best of them, was a true step in the right direction.

Nevertheless, De-Condenser happily stepped forward with open arms, with the rest of his colleagues quickly following suit. "When I was your kids' age and trying to figure out where I wanted to go with my Hero education, I couldn't have explained my reasons any better than that, Solovei-kun. All of you kids, whether you interned with us or not; just know that all of us here will always be cheering you on every step you take. But before you have to head back to Yuuei, surely you have time to pay the folks in Gagaringrad a visit? We took the liberty of telling Linguist-san that you'd all be coming after Tunguska-san had called, after all."

Knowing that the whole town was now expecting them had made what already felt like an overwhelming excitement among the students explode into something else entirely, as with a collective cheer, they were soon out the door, following the Pro Heroes' lead, with Neito naturally being the loudest in direct competition with Mina.

Along the way, Maja found herself struggling to breathe in an attempt to steel her nerves in preparation for seeing her parents and all those lifelong familiar faces for the first time as an official Hero, something Mina was more than quick to pick up on and give all the encouragement she could: "Just take a deep breath and try to relax, Maja-chan, this is gonna be super exciting! You're just as much a Hero to everyone there, and you've got an awesome costume to show off too! You'll see, this is gonna be fun!"

Nikolay would have added on as well, but in the pit of his chest, he could feel that something was off. Looking back, he could see that Oleg had fallen a fair distance behind them, not out of exhaustion, but because the man had come to a complete stop, as though his feet had turned to lead. Going back to check on his father, Nikolay could quickly see the unmistakable dread apparent on his face. [[Dad?]]

Oleg couldn't take his eyes off the forested road ahead of them, almost looking as though he were about to break into a frigid sweat. [[I heard them, Kolya, we're almost there; a whole town of them…of our people. I…I-I don't…I don't think I can do this.]]

The sigh that Nikolay released was not of annoyance, but rather resignation. Despite the enthusiasm of his friends, he couldn't possibly ignore the very real possibility that, just because the people of Gagaringrad had thanked and accepted him as a Hero, didn't mean they would be just as quick to forgive Tunguska, no matter if Maja's parents, Leonid and Father Sergei had. It was because of him that their lives had become this uprooted to begin with; it would take a miracle for every single one of them to be able to let that completely slide and let the past lie.

Nevertheless, he took his father's hand, smiling as reassuringly as he could as he continued to follow after the others with Oleg in tow. [[Please try not to worry, Dad. No matter what happens there, you know I still love you, and you know we'll stand with you. Besides, you called the Pros, and they called the town. Surely they would've told them you'd be coming with us too, and if they still wanted us to come after learning that, then that must mean something…right?]]

Nikolay fell silent, instinctively dreading his attempts at easing his father's nerves had fallen short. But Oleg felt no such thing, instead taking his son's words to heart, and taking a deep breath in an attempt to calm himself down and brace himself for the greeting that was to come, as he could see the beginnings of rooftops through the foliage of the trees. [[Thank you, Kolya. I don't deserve their forgiveness…but yours is meaningful beyond words.]]

Just as Nikolay was about to tell Oleg not to jinx himself as to how the townspeople were going to respond to his presence-

BOBOBOBOOM!

[[WELCOME BACK! WELCOME BACK, HEROES OF GAGARINGRAD!]]

The moment they'd all finally stepped through the welcoming arch of Gagaringrad, seeing already how the town had been completely rebuilt from the ground up; the Heroes were all instantly welcomed by a massive surprise greeting, the citizens emerging from all around in the brush and the doorways and windows, just as several small-time daytime fireworks went off in the air, raining colorful confetti down on the brightly smiling party.

All at once were the students and their chaperoning Pros all but charged into, crowded with a multitude of energetic and enthusiastic cheers from adults, teens and children alike; with Maja getting considerable attention out of all of them, as she was being treated practically like a returning favorite child by her parents and those of all her now-absent friends, who were all expressing so much pride at her now being a student of Yuuei, before just as quickly complimenting her for her costume and bombarding her with questions of what she'd already learned or had the chance to do.

All the while, the other parents even started digging out a multitude of letters from their pockets, all written by their children and her friends serving their time, all of which similarly echoed the same sentiments of pride and hope in her and her continuing education as a Hero, almost as though her doing so was ultimately doing the same for all of them in spirit, a sentiment that left her mentally and emotionally reeling.

But all of this spontaneous cheer couldn't last long, for as more and more wandering eyes caught sight of Oleg standing awkwardly at the entrance to the town, so too did more and more of the cheering and side-chatter come to a halt. Just as quickly as it had started, the noise had all stopped, and all of Gagaringrad and those on the scene found themselves stuck in an impenetrable and heavy silence.

Seeing this, Nikolay's first instinct was to try and break the tensions he could already feel starting to build, hopeful that simply introducing his father on a personal level would help. But a single stopping hand gesture from Oleg forced him to stand his ground, while the older Russian Hero simply stood tall, refusing to try and hide himself or slip away.

Standing there before all these people, feeling their unrelenting stares continuously bore into him like drills into marble; the man they all instinctively recognized as their former Number One Hero, The Sun of Justice, Tunguska himself; he simply took a deep, sharp breath through his nose, his body going stiff as he turned his resigned gaze up to the morning skies. The scattered whispered murmurings of the townspeople upon recognizing him didn't even register in Oleg's ears, as he could only hear his own inner voice:

'Well, Oleg Sergeevich, you knew this moment was inevitable; it was only a matter of time before you'd finally have to show yourself to those most hurt by you. Why bother trying to fight it? These people lost their homes and God-only-knows how many loved ones because of you. It's only right they finally get their chance to take a crack at the one responsible, the one that was supposed to protect them. They already have accepted Kolya and his friends as their Heroes, and that's good enough for me.'

The sound of a pair of feet striding cautiously across the dirt snapped Oleg out of his reverie, in time to see a handful of the citizens had finally started taking the initiative to close the distance with him. Their gazes were all deeply piercing, but otherwise unreadable. Some looked nervous, some looked angry, some like they were trying to fight back tears, and others looked otherwise dead inside, as though the sight of him was the only thing willing them to actually move of their own accord. Where there had once been universal cheer and gratitude when seeing the young Heroes, it was seeing this once god-like specter of the past that had extinguished all of that light.

Except that now; instead of the virtually immortalized angelic sunspot of Heroic might that had once been plastered in posters and on the walls of virtually every city, town and village across their Motherland; they were looking upon the dimmed shell of that former self. For what felt like the first time in all of their lived, these people were seeing Tunguska as what he only ever truly was the entire time: a man; mortal, and therefore fallible.

Finally, the crowd all came to a stop as they were just within arm's reach of him; his height still forcing them to look up in order to meet his eyes. Oleg was still fighting to maintain his stoic, almost surrendering demeanor to them, when one of the adults suddenly spoke up with a voice that rang with physical restraint over his emotions: [[You…you are Tunguska…The Sun of Justice, in the flesh?]]

[[You're just one of them…the Heroes who actually teach at that school these kids all came from when they first showed up here, is that right? We all heard and read about it before, but is it really true?]] One of the adult women in the circle asked with similarly effort in trying to speak her questions.

[[And that boy, that one called Solovei…is it really true that he's…that he's your flesh and blood son?]] An older man added on; just as willfully or unaware as the rest of the crowd as to just how much anguish was visible in Oleg's face as he grew weary of waiting for the inevitable lambasting and anger that had been thirteen years in waiting for him.

[[Yes…I am Tunguska. Yes, it's true I came out of hiding after all this time to come to this country and teach at Yuuei Academy, even when I had no right to after what I caused, especially to you all. And…yes, it's true: Solovei…Kolya, is my son, and those young Heroes with him are all my students. But if you all must direct your feelings to anyone-!]]

[[Thank you.]]

The faintest voice of a single child rendered Oleg dead silent as he froze like a statue, his eyes still with shock as he looked down to find a little girl with tiny seashells protruding from her arms and legs, looking up at him with a deeply sincere emotion of gratitude in her eyes as she looked at the towering Hero.

Oleg was all but certain he'd simply been hearing things, but before he could begin to say so, one of the adults encircling him suddenly spoke up: [[Yes, thank you, Tunguska.]]

[[Thank you. Thank you. We'd all have been lost if not for what you did.]]

From what felt like out of nowhere, soon Oleg was finding himself being bombarded from all sides with increasingly heartfelt expressions of gratitude from the last people he ever expected to hear it from. He'd become so prepared to receive the ultimate flood of derision and scorn, it almost felt like the universe itself was mocking him with this. He had gone from tall and resolute in what he deserved, to now looking hopelessly lost and confused. Even Nikolay and many of his friends looked like they were in the middle of letting out a collective sigh of relief.

Seeing the bewilderment on the former Number One Hero's face amid this highly vocal crowd, Leonid thankfully took the chance to step forward and clear the air, chuckling warmly all the while: [[I can only imagine what must be going through your head, Tunguska. Believe me, not too long ago, none of us here would've expected to be saying this to you of all people in the slightest.

[[However, thanks to the valiant and selfless efforts of these outstanding young Heroes here, the one place we all had left to call home when we had once felt completely displaced and aimless has been saved and rebuilt anew, and countless innocent lives the world over have been saved. Not only that, but it was thanks to all of them that we all have rediscovered that incredible feeling of having real Heroes to believe in again…and not just us, for that matter.

[[Because of the actions of your son and students, we could very well be standing on the precipice of something that once felt truly impossible: a chance at one day being welcomed back to our Motherland, forgiven by those we once called friends and neighbors simply for our possessing Quirks, and allowing our youngest children to at last set foot and gaze upon the land of their origin they otherwise would only ever have gotten to hear about in passing. A chance at true reconciliation and peace has been made possible by what these incredible young Heroes have done…and ultimately, we've all come to understand, and most importantly, accept that it was a great deal because of their having a Hero…and a father like you, to help guide them on the path towards becoming Heroes capable of such a miracle.]]

Oleg was completely and utterly speechless, almost rendered blind by the tears overflowing in his eyes as the weighty truth of Leonid's words, on top of the continued echoes of gratitude from the people watching and listening, kept compounding within his heart. In fact, at times it almost felt as though his heart would give out, it had started racing so fast and strong within his chest from all of the emotion building up inside him.

Then, finally, Father Sergei stepped forward and joined Leonid's side before finally saying what everyone in the whole of Gagaringrad felt and tried to convey through their own words:

[[For all these past years, there had once been nothing but resentment for what you'd caused, as well as your subsequent absence, Tunguska…but if your actions since, and your guidance, led to the growth of such true Heroes, then yours must truly be a heart driven by grief, and the desire to truly atone that comes from it. It is for that reason, that while we may not forgive or thank the Sun of Justice that once was…we can and do thank the Hero that stands before us now, for what your actions have ultimately led to. You are a good father and a good teacher, Tunguska, and in the end, that is all we can truly thank you for after all this time.]]

The moment he could see his father's knees finally buckle, Nikolay practically darted through the crowd in order to try and get his arms around Oleg to help keep him steady. While it should have come as no surprise to him, it ultimately still was when he saw that Mina, Tenya, Momo, Maja and all their fellow Hero students likewise came rushing in all together to help support their teacher until he could find the wherewithal to stand on his feet again.

Even the language barrier couldn't keep the Japanese students among the group from being able to pick up on the intent behind the priest and everyone else's words, as the girls all looked just as emotionally overwhelmed as Nikolay and Oleg themselves; even Tetsutetsu having to struggle to keep anyone from noticing he was getting teary-eyed at what they all recognized to be an iconic moment for them all to remember.

And as for Oleg, he felt as though he were being pulled apart in multiple directions at once; torn between the insistence that he be punished for his actions, relief at having been given this miracle of forgiveness, and gratitude for the support of his son and students in the moment he felt the most vulnerable he had in over a decade.

But it was when a single miraculously timed ray of sunlight suddenly broke through the clouds overhead, and shined upon the Sun of Justice and his young charges, that he finally looked up in wonder, unable to deny what just such a storybook-like instance had him feeling: 'This…this is actually happening, isn't it? Lyudmila…are you watching us right now, seeing and hearing this? Can…can I really accept this after everything else that's happened? Do I truly deserve…forgiveness, from anyone?'

There was no other inexplicable phenomena from the skies to answer these repeating questions as they raced through Oleg's mind, but the growing warmth he felt from feeling his son holding him alongside all his present friends and schoolmates when he needed such comfort the most, was enough to help it all settle at last in his heart. If there were any clearer a sign from the powers that be that Tunguska, The Sun of Justice, had at last earned the right to be forgiven by anyone else, if not himself, then he didn't know what it could have been.

And for now, the forgiveness of even this many of his countrymen, the support and gratitude of his students, and the love of his son, would be more than enough.

And so, finally regaining the fortitude to stand up tall again, whilst wiping the tears from his eyes, Oleg finally looked upon all the people of Gagaringrad around him, his students and Nikolay alike, and finally gave his answer in a boundless, infinitely sincere: [[Thank you…all of you.]]

It was that heartfelt expression from the man, like he was shedding the weight of the world from his shoulders with each word, that finally inspired resounding cheer from everyone around, officially kicking the reuniting celebrations into full gear once more. This time, Oleg was finally able to let his feelings out freely, with Nikolay and his friends constantly close at his side the whole time through.

Of course, that didn't stop them from being pulled into the conversation surrounding Maja, courtesy of her and her old friends' parents, all eager to get as much perspective as possible on just what the training of young Heroes in this country so far consisted of.

However, no matter how much Nikolay, Mina or any of the others tried their best to answer such questions, it was inevitable for the discussion to eventually turn towards wanting to know if any new information had been discovered regarding the whereabouts of the still-missing young Romanian, Marius Lazarescu, whose parents were naturally worrying for their only son every hour of every day.

Naturally, this led the mood between them and the Hero students to sharply drop, as they found themselves forced to once more admit that they hadn't been told of anything being found by the authorities. This visibly left many of the parents around forlorn, nearly as much as it did the students themselves. However, Maja was easily the most depressed out of all of them at having to have said this to those most in need of answers. Since she'd been the one to coerce Marius into joining up with Pietro Granin so he could ultimately get brainwashed like she had been, how could she not have felt the deepest sense of personal responsibility for being able to bring him back home?

But what hurt even worse, was that after having been given this unfortunate news, all Marius' parents could answer the young Heroes with was: [[We truly do understand and appreciate everything you, the police and the rest of the Heroes out there are trying to do for us…but we just want you all to know that if, for whatever reason, you can't find our Marius, or even if you do one day, but he…he is isn't who he once was anymore, whether it be because of Pietro Granin or anything or anyone else; just know that we don't blame any of you for it. We live in chaotic times, and if you're ever caught between needing to save entire cities and finding one person…we're not fool enough to think that the needs of so few can outweigh so many.]]

If nothing else, it was hearing them say they didn't blame any of the young Heroes for Marius' continued absence that especially hurt Maja the most, much to the rest of her friends' visible concern, despite her insistence she would be fine.

Nevertheless, such a grim note of finality ultimately left Nikolay, his friends, the Kapenta Heroes and Tunguska all with a heavy weight of even greater responsibility to find the wayward young Romanian and bring him back safe and sound before something so horrible could come to fruition. This was an unspoken but heartfelt promise to the parents, the people of Gagaringrad and to themselves as Heroes.

Afterwards, in an attempt to try and restore an air of levity to go with what was still supposed to be a celebration, there was the similarly overwhelming sense of responsibility that came from all the kids seeing their whole commemorative statue in the town square with their own eyes for the first time, festooned with flowers of all colors as a show of gratitude from the people.

[[I think we can all agree this is too great an opportunity to pass up. What would you all say to a commemorative photo with our monument to everything you all did for us?]] Leonid wasted no time proposing when he saw just how much the people's continuous shows of gratitude touched their young Heroes. Naturally, none of them objected, as they all eagerly took their places together; never even aware that they were ultimately mirroring their own positions in the statue itself. But from where Leonid and the townspeople were all standing, that just made the moment that much more worthwhile.

This was a moment that every one of these young, bright-eyed Heroes had earned, and it was only right they be able to immortalize this moment whichever way they saw fit to. Of course, that still didn't stop Monoma from gloating, in his delusional perspective from where he stood then, that he and his classmates' portion of the statue was indeed towering over everyone else's. However, the occasion was simply so positive, nobody had it in them to tell him otherwise, and simply let him have his moment.

From there; it ultimately came down to the moment the students had all been silently preparing for, simply because many of them knew it would be impossible to keep a dry eye once it would be over; as Tenya, Tetsutetsu, Pony and Yui finally took the lead out to the Cliffside outside of town, where the ruins of the former hospital headquarters were still barely standing; and where, at the farthest reaching outcropping, stood a finely sculpted and polished statue of Knightfall that, from a distance and a certain angle, looked exactly like the fallen Hero himself, alive and well. Whether this could have been considered an honorable tribute or a cruel taunt to his already grieving interns depended on who was asked.

But nevertheless, the time had finally come for them all to pay their respects, and give their former mentor the send-off he deserved, as with their hearts all weighing heavy in their chests, and the most heartfelt of thanks expressed one after the other as they looked to the sculpture then out to the shimmering sea to which it stared out, Tetsutetsu focused his Quirk to turn his hands into Iron, in order to strike them together and produce the spark needed to finally ignite the torch settled at the sculpture's base; the flames burning as brilliantly as the Hero's spirit itself.

Looking upon the entire scene even from a distance, Nikolay, Tunguska, Mina, Maja, Momo, Neito, Reiko and the people of Gagaringrad couldn't help but get deeply choked up, as it looked as though Knightfall himself were standing vigilant guard again, with that fire being his one undying means of providing a guiding light to those lost at sea in need of protection and saving. And that thought was just the perfect thing to finally bring Tenya and his fellow wayward interns a sense of true acceptance and peace within; the Class 1-A president resolutely announcing to the horizon:

"Knightfall-sensei, even though all our time together was all too brief, we promise to carry everything you taught us to heart, and dedicate ourselves and our future work as Heroes to honoring your memory, and protecting the innocent just as you did. Rest in peace, Sensei."

With their memorial having at last been ignited, and with the commemorative picture of the Heroes with their statue having at last been taken, the rest of the day went by into the early evening with far higher and celebratory spirits; as Mina, Momo, Kyouka, Yui, Reiko, Maja and Pony were quickly taken by the star-struck children of the orphanage to be shown their veritable art gallery of honorary drawings; not only of the Heroes themselves, but even of their ideas for their own Hero costumes once they were older; something that the teen girls couldn't help but swoon (to varying degrees) over.

And as Tunguska and the rest of the Kapenta Heroes were eagerly engaged with Leonid, Sergei and the rest of the bustling crowds of the townspeople; Nikolay somehow ended up finding a chance to make his way down to the coastal street wherein all the local craftsmen shops stood.

Naturally, the presence of one of the young saviors of Gagaringrad, if not the one who spearheaded the Heroes' efforts to begin with, quickly caught the attention of all those craftsmen still manning their respective shops. [[Well, good evening to you, Solovei. What on earth brings you down this way, and not participating in the celebrations with all the others?]]

Looking from one craftsman's shop to the next uncertainly, but all the while still carrying himself with an air of resolve, Nikolay answered: [[Well, I've just been thinking that, with Christmas coming soon, I wouldn't have a better chance than this. I want to have some gifts custom-made for all my classmates back at Yuuei.]]

To his surprise and subsequent relief, the men in question all simply lit up at such a proposition. [[Well, if you just give us some rough ideas of what you have in mind, we could all pool together and churn them out no problem. Don't even think about asking the cost, either. The fact we all even have a livelihood and roofs over our heads still is because of you and your friends. Whatever you ask of us this time around is completely free of charge.]]

However, Nikolay resolutely shook his head, already reaching into his pocket for his wallet. [[Thank you all, but I can't ask that of you all. I may be learning to be a Hero, but I don't want to start thinking that makes anyone owe me anything. We all work just as hard as anyone else, and I wouldn't feel right not giving you what you rightly deserve for it. So, let me just run some ideas by you and…well, I guess just hope for the best.]]

Being hard-working craftsmen and ultimately businessmen in their own rights, none of the men tried to dissuade Nikolay if he was being so insistent. Meanwhile, Nikolay was silently grateful that they didn't try to insist on working for nothing. He knew all too well just what it was like for some people to have nothing, from a home, to food to eat, all the way to a means to make a living to have any of those things. So he was currently feeling quite proud of himself for sticking to his principals, even despite now essentially being in such a privileged position as being a Hero to anyone else.

Once he'd finally finished running all his gift ideas by the craftsmen, and subsequently paid them all what they were ultimately owed with the cash from his own personal allowance, Nikolay breathed another sigh of immense relief, before finally going to the heart of town to rejoin all his friends in enjoying the rest of the festivities well into the evening. With his preparations for the holidays now taken care of, being able to see all these familiar faces again, and even witnessing his father receive the forgiveness from Gagaringrad's people that once seemed truly unattainable; this more and more felt like one of the greatest days in both Nikolay and his father's lives to happen in recent memory.

Naturally, the most pleasing aspect of all of this was simply seeing just how reinvigorated everyone's spirits had become since the last time he and his friends had been here. Truly the news of Konstantin Khodamchuk's offer of amnesty and homecoming had made a great change here. Nikolay could only hope that not only were the repair efforts back in Russia going smoothly so far; but even more so that people back home would actually be willing to accept these people back into daily circulation as fellow citizens again. After all, if the people themselves wouldn't accept those with Quirks again, then what good was an offer of amnesty from anyone, even someone as high up the chain of command as the president?

Moscow

With the Kremlin still undergoing extensive repairs, Konstantin Khodamchuk had to resign himself to catching his breath and sleeping at one of the few hotels in Moscow that had managed to avoid being as extensively damaged as much of the city itself. It was just about the only respite he could get, since he refused his advisors' insistence that he relocate to the secondary presidential residence up in St. Petersburg.

But as president, his word was ultimately the final one, and Konstantin was a man of the people before he was ever a politician; and he was going to get his own hands dirty with helping see to the repairs and care of the people that had been affected by this recent chain of disasters.

In all honesty, being president was a position he still would have preferred not to have, but that was simply the hand that fate had decided to deal him, and he was going to do everything in his power to use it for a greater good than his predecessor did. And thus far, it looked to actually be working out. Other than the still-bizarre instance of finding that severed human finger from an unidentified Japanese criminal in the Red Square, everything else since his involuntary promotion had been going exceptionally smoothly, all things considered.

The Heroes and Quirked volunteers from all across Europe didn't even hesitate to come and see to the repairs alongside the native civilians and services once the request had finally been made. If all continued to go this well, all the damage the League of Villains had wrought across western Russia and the Georgian border would be repaired in no time…and then perhaps the real healing for the Russian people and the country's displaced Quirked citizens could truly begin. That was the one biggest hope Konstantin could ask for with each passing day.

It was a hope he could actually afford to have for once, since from all that he could see and hear, at least in the metropolitan areas that had been affected; the citizens were actually proving surprisingly open to accepting the presence of those with Quirks in order to provide a helping hand.

He hadn't wanted to admit it, but in the beginning after having made his call for Quirk amnesty, Konstantin had all but braced himself for nonstop protests and riots, perhaps even an attempted assassination for his perceived betrayal of their country's apparent traditional stance against Quirks. How anyone could look at the mindset of merely a single decade and call it a tradition, even he had no idea.

But just because the people of Moscow were proving surprisingly accepting of such immediate changes, didn't mean all was well across the rest of the country. Far from it, in fact.

Out in the much more rural areas of Russia; places that, ironically, hadn't been remotely affected by the League's actions; the people had proven far more resistant to suddenly being told that their home country was just welcoming its Quirked citizens back in without a second thought. They had already been so firmly entwined with the previous presidency's stance against Quirks, but hearing of over half of Moscow being decimated only made their aversion that much stronger…and their expressed outrage against their new president that much more virulent.

With every day that passed wherein Konstantin didn't hear of them calling for a vote of no confidence, a protest, or even a violent call to action against him or any of the returning ex-pats his amnesty was meant for; he could just strongly enough feel his own sense of unease growing within the pit of his stomach. Surely those people had to be concocting some kind of a plan to make their rejection of these changes be unmistakably known.

Konstantin could easily imagine just one of the many mindsets with which those people were carrying their bitterness and resilience against his call for peace. After having heard that their own capitol had gotten so devastated by a group of Villains from out of absolutely nowhere, and that so many of their heads of government had gotten killed as a result of it, and then this single man came from out of the ether to suddenly call for the return of all drifted citizens with Quirks; such a man could easily just be a seeker of opportunities to ingratiate himself with the public and earn easy benefits that came with such a reputation.

But had they known the man now filling their presidential role even the slightest bit, then they would've known how much those same self-centered motivations by all other tried and tested politicians disgusted Konstantin Khodamchuk as well. He was a man who simply saw what needed to be done for the good of his country and its people, and he was going about that the only way he could think to with the responsibilities he now had to carry.

Of course, once the repairs would all finally be done, there would of course have to come the possibility of the very same Quirked citizens he was calling out to, not trusting him at his word, and refusing to come home. If that were to be the case, there would be no hope to reestablish Russia's former Hero society…and from there could come no future Heroes…and if that were to be the case, then what could they realistically do if another force of Villains were to decide to roll through and somehow do something even worse?

If his initial call for amnesty wouldn't be enough to convince the people to come back, and to show his naysayers how genuine his intentions were, then Konstantin knew he would need to take the first step, and initiate a means to show the world his sincerity. But how? The last few months of such hard work had been so trying, he was simply too exhausted tonight to think of an answer. Surely something like a peace conference could be a good start, but surely to organize such a thing with little to no forewarning to the heads of all the other countries that had taken Russia's refugees, would be a near Herculean task.

There was simply too much for him to linger on for him to come up with a solution to any one of them. Simply thinking of the possibility of more Villains staking their claim here with no resistance naturally brought Konstantin's mind back to the questions he still had about the League of Villains. There was some relief to be had, knowing that Russia and Japan were essentially on the same page when it came to the need to deal with them; since their actions across several of his cities now officially made them just as much Russia's problem as Japan's.

Besides, he had likewise been keeping his ears open for all related news coming out of Japan, and thus had heard of the recent disaster in Deika City as well; an instance he could see far too many similarities to what had unfolded here in Moscow.

But that still did nothing to answer his burning question of just what it was they were truly after when they had attacked Moscow. Sure a great deal of the stored wealth of the government had been stolen, as well as a great deal of his former department's research into Anti-Quirk weaponry and equipment; but even those two things seemed too obvious for the likes of them…and it wasn't like there were many aged government officials still alive that he could go to with questions, who would be able to give him any answers worth a damn.

Knock, knock, knock

[[Come in.]] Konstantin tiredly ordered; prompting a sturdy-looking soldier to hastily make his way inside, standing at attention at the man's makeshift desk and offering a salute.

[[My apologies for disturbing you so late, Mr. President. A letter has arrived for you…from the former Minister of Internal Affairs.]]

This was a development Konstantin had never expected, as he jolted up in his chair and gratefully accepted the letter. So many positions in the government had still yet to be occupied in all of the overwhelming restructuring work, but he knew that his predecessor's Minister of Foreign Affairs had been confirmed to be one of the victims of the League of Villains' attack on the Red Square. So to be receiving a letter from that man's predecessor; an old gentleman named Obran Abalkin, who had retired a couple years before the Siberian Flash all the way to Ruskeala; was an unprecedented surprise.

However, if Konstantin had known just how often the late Dmitry Zaitsev confided in Obran when faced with the overwhelming stresses of his title, and of the things he had to keep from the eyes and ears of the public; he would have taken a letter like this with far more trepidation. The man was a government devotee through and through, and there was simply no telling just what he would suddenly have to say that could only be shared in writing instead of a phone call.

But what Konstantin uncovered within that letter would leave him devoid of all his previous exhaustion, for it was now replaced with an overwhelming sense of disbelief, and ultimately a terror unlike what he even felt back in Hokkaido.

In so many words, this nearly forgotten leftover from a long-past administration had poured onto the page, an entire thorough detailing of everything Dmitry Zaitsev had confided in him in the darkest of his hours over the course of his last few months before his untimely death; from his uncertainties on how to ease the people's growing unease and impatience, to his mutual faith and doubts in their measures against all Quirk-born threats.

But it was what was shared in the end that had left Konstantin with a chill of pure fear running up his spine. From what he was reading, Obran was describing one of the last bits of communication he'd had with Dmitry before the attack; wherein he described receiving a preserved relic from one of the government's storage bunkers for safe keeping: the once-believed mythical sewing needle that possessed the spirit of none other than the old boogeyman of fairytales of old: Koschei the Deathless.

Konstantin didn't even keep count of how many times his eyes went over those words, as though his brain was refusing to process just what his eyes were seeing, for to do so would mean having to admit that it was reality. He had never once believed that such a figure in their mythology was actually real, even in this day and age of such incredible abilities existing in people's day-to-day lives.

As if that weren't enough, Obran had proceeded to write down how Dmitry had mentioned only the barest handful of men knowing of this spirit-holding needle's existence within the Kremlin, and how when word had reached him of all that had either been stolen or destroyed in the aftermath of the attack on Moscow; specifically how that needle had not been accounted for, and that if all their stories of the fate of Koschei did indeed connect to reality, then it meant that this needle was already indestructible.

If it could not be destroyed, and yet had not been recovered from the remains of the Red Square, then that meant there was only one possibility left to consider; a possibility that was now Konstantin's responsibility to address and properly handle: somehow, the League of Villains had come to learn of that needle's existence, and decided to take it for their own amid the chaos they had reigned upon the city.

Konstantin had already been running himself beyond ragged with all the hard work he'd been doing up until now, and yet he still felt his stomach twist and turn like he was going to vomit from pure terror as the letter fell silently to the floor from his hand. The thought of Koschei the Deathless actually being real was overwhelming enough as it was, for there were so many implications that came with it for the possibility of superhuman abilities like Quirks actually existing far longer than they had ever believed. However, the thought of the League actually having such a relic and the powers that inherently were held within it, was the stuff that even Konstantin's current worst nightmares couldn't compare to.

There was only so much that Konstantin could realistically do all the way from here, now that the League had returned to Japan with their once-mythical cargo in tow…but the least he knew he could do for certain was to reach out to whichever branch of the Japanese government or their Hero society he could get in contact with, and fully inform them of just the true scale of the threat they were currently standing up against.

First the repair efforts, then trying to organize a peace conference aimed at their displaced citizens in order to smoothly make the transition to rebuilding Russia's Hero society, then easing the unease and resistance out in the rural parts of the country in order to help that transition, and now the potential cataclysm of the League having the apparently-real Koschei of their oldest fables. Just when it seemed like his workload was unending as it was, Konstantin now found himself standing before a veritable Everest of responsibilities he couldn't begin to scale with anything resembling ease. He could only silently and futilely hope that this was all he would have to worry about for the time being.

Mirko Hero Agency, Kyoto, Monday, December 22nd

The office of the Number Five Hero in all of Japan, while brand spanking new when presented to the Number Five Pro Hero of its namesake, barely reflected such a prestigious rank. From the outside, it looked like virtually any other big city building, albeit with a pair of large bunny ear-shaped structures sticking out of its roof. At least it was eye-catching from there. Inside, however, was already nothing short of a disaster of paperwork, with the Rabbit Hero herself nowhere to be found to deal with any of it.

No, that responsibility went to her one and only hired assistant, Chiyuki; a young woman with dark purple eyes, long brown hair with splotches of golden blonde strewn throughout, with a pair of cheetah ears and a tail sprouting from her head and lower back respectively.

Mirko had hired her not as a potential sidekick, but simply as the person to deal with all the boring paperwork. Even if Chiyuki's Cheetah Quirk gave her a propensity for incredible speed, she didn't resent the fact that she wasn't working here as a Hero. It gave her a speed in everything she did, including her work here. She was still technically helping a Hero out, and that was good enough for her.

As far as Chiyuki was willing to think about it, her working in here simply gave Mirko more time to spend working out there on the field. On the day they had been introduced when the Rabbit Hero had been granted this building, she had made it clear to her assistant that if she couldn't travel the country fighting Villains anymore, then being forced to settle in a big city with potential for tons of action would have to do. By her reasoning, a city as big as Kyoto was never lacking for action for Heroes, and with Mirko's speed, strength and drive, chances were ninety-nine percent that she would be there to deal with it in record time before moving on to the next incident.

In the very short time Chiyuki had known and worked under Mirko, by now her employer was pretty much satisfied so long as there was a fight to be had. And with this year already proving to be so busy even before Mirko had been forced to settle, the young assistant was expecting things to just go that smoothly through what little time was left this year, especially after all the excitement of Mirko's promotion in the billboard chart that got her this office in the first place.

But today was not going to be like that, as after having spent the majority of the day organizing the paperwork for all the resolved incidents from yesterday alone; Chiyuki's focus was broken by the deafening sound of the office door getting kicked open with a powerful slam; looking up and naturally shrinking when she saw Mirko angrily stomping her way inside with a frustrated scowl on her face.

By this point, Chiyuki knew that if Mirko was in this foul a mood, then it was best to just skip the obligatory questions and simply get to work making some tea to help calm her down. As Chiyuki was already doing so with masterful preparedness; Mirko plopped herself down in the nearest available chair in this large empty office room with a frustrated huff.

"Man, what the hell kind of investigation are the rest of those hot shots doing out there? All this time since Kyushu, and still no word about where the League of Villains is hiding out at? All this society's resources and they can't even find a handful of punks like that? How am I supposed to have any actual shot at the Number One spot with all the thickheaded dunces roaming around out there calling themselves Villains? It's bad enough I have to limit myself to working in one place, but I at least thought a city this big would have some real challenges for me, but those guys out there are a joke! Gimme a real fight, for crying out loud!"

Chiyuki was already at Mirko's side, setting down a cup of especially spicy tea for her, and upon listening to her vented frustration, handily answered: "You know nobody questions just how strong and effective you are in those fights, or your visual appeal, Rumi-san…but maybe you oughta consider branching out; professionally, I mean. You're already at the top of the local popularity charts since you got this office and established yourself as Kyoto's biggest Hero, but if you improved your air of approachability, I think that'd be a good way for you to shoot up the rest of the national charts."

Mirko downed the tea in a single throwback like a cowgirl in a western, before kicking her feet up with an annoyed sneer. "Please, everybody with eyes can see that Endeavor is way worse than I am at that approachability crap, but that didn't stop him from making it to Number One. Just seeing him on TV try to actually engage with civilians like All Might did is just plain cringe-worthy."

Chiyuki likewise couldn't help but automatically shiver when recalling such an unnatural interaction from the Flame Hero. But once she finished tucking away yet another shelf-worth of paperwork, she turned back to her boss. "Maybe not in the way of directly shooting the breeze with your public, but maybe you'd be able to improve your approachability in their eyes if you considered taking on an intern. Many of the now-great Hero Agencies out there got that way by taking in willing Hero students upon their establishment, and that whole program is about to go into effect again after New Years' Eve, so there'd still be time for you to pick an application and approve it. I've had them all stockpiled at your personal desk for the occasion."

Looking back at her assistant's motion of the hand; Mirko saw a pair of papers sitting atop her personal desk nearly reaching to the ceiling…and subsequently gave another dismissive scoff. "You're kidding me, right? I got this far through nobody's help or efforts but my own, and I can get to Number One on my own too. I'm not about to degrade myself by babysitting some snot-nosed star-struck Hero wannabe. The only way for a Hero to truly become strong is by relying on and looking out for nobody but yourself."

Chiyuki rolled her eyes, having long since expected this kind of stubborn defiance on Mirko's part. While yes, the Rabbit Hero was exceptionally strong, and had nobody to really thank for becoming that way but herself; it was still the young new assistant's duty to try and help her along with all aspects of her work wherever possible.

"They said it loud and clear at the Billboard Chart ceremony, Rumi-san: public opinion and perception is just as integral to your climbing the ranks as any of your personal skills. I'm just saying that maybe you could at least consider taking on one intern for a test drive and see how they hold up working on the field alongside you. You reaching Number Five has definitely made you incredibly popular; the number of applications can attest to that, and our address hasn't been available online for more than a few days. Even if the applicants themselves don't measure up to your standards; at least people would see you were willing to make the effort. Who knows? Maybe that could help get you up another rank or two much faster than by just continuing your constant fighting routine like you have been, confined to one city like you said."

Mirko found herself looking back begrudgingly at the stacks of applications, really thinking about her assistant's honest suggestions while the corner of her mouth twitched in time with her racing thoughts. She was indeed in a rush to get her rightful place in the Number One slot, and despite how jam-packed her days were with fighting crime, as mediocre as it was, she still felt like she was stagnating as long as nobody had any clues as to where the League of Villains were hiding out. It wasn't like she had any suggestions that would make that process go by any faster, so the least she could do was focus on getting her own ranking up.

Finally, the Rabbit Hero rose from her seat and strode purposefully to her desk as she finally answered the watchful Chiyuki: "Dammit…alright, fine, you made your point, but I'm not about to waste my time reading through every single one of these damn things. Best to let fate make the decision here for me."

WOOSH!

With no warning or windup, Mirko suddenly swung her high-reaching leg across her desk, sending both stacks of applications flying all across the room and to the floor and other tabletops, much to Chiyuki's wide-eyed confusion as to just what her boss was planning, and dread at the inevitable cleanup she would now have to take care of.

Climbing atop her desk, Mirko looked at the widespread scattering of papers, and began to do some practically stretches for her legs. "I'll jump from here with my eyes closed, and whichever application my kicking foot lands on, that's the one I'll take on; you can go ahead and shred the rest afterwards. But if that intern doesn't measure up after the test run, they're out on their butts, and I don't want to hear any more about interns after that, understand? Now then…"

With an inhumanly strong spring in her leap, Mirko managed a triple front-flip through the air in the high-ceiling office; Chiyuki watching her physical control and speed with an awestruck gaze; before Mirko finally came down with a resounding stomp on the reinforced floor.

As soon as she knew she was back on solid ground, she didn't waste any more time with anticipation for just who she'd ended up picking, instead unceremoniously picking up the paper her foot had landed upon and looking over both the picture and the hand-written letter that came with it describing said students' Quirk, Hero name and reason for wanting to be her intern.

"Huh, 'Pinky', huh? That's a dumb choice for a Hero name if you ask me; not nearly intimidating enough. Well, I'm a Hero of my word. Chiyuki-san, put the call out to Yuuei to have her sent over here when the program starts up again, then clean up the rest of this mess. I'm headed back out on night patrol."

Yuuei Academy, Wednesday, December 24th

With winter break now officially in full effect, there had been no objection raised when Tunguska, Nikolay and all the students who had decided to go up to Hokkaido to visit the Kapenta Heroes and the people of Gagaringrad, had decided to stay there over night as their honored guests.

Once they had finally returned to Yuuei the next day, there had been a noticeable change in the general air among them, as though all their spirits had been sufficiently strengthened more than they already had been. The clearest indication of this that their classmates and the teachers could see, was in their greater invigoration towards using their new free time for training as well as all the casual pleasantries with the rest of their friends in their respective classes.

But among them, the one that was pulling all the stops with their training, even more so than Nikolay, was Maja. She'd already been proving herself to be an exceptional student in general, but ever since this visit, anyone who watched or trained alongside her could look at her as though she were a girl possessed.

In fact, Tunguska had become so aware of this outright awakening of full-on spirit within her, that today, he simply couldn't keep his lingering thoughts to himself when he'd found himself once more having lunch in the faculty office with Toshinori, Aizawa and Vlad King nearby.

"Has anyone tried reaching out to the Commission to see about organizing a smaller-scale Provisional License exam for malenkaya Kieslowska yet? I can't be the only one seeing just how much more she's chomping at the bit alongside all the other students, can I?"

Tunguska could see that his fellow teachers had just been expecting someone to bring up this subject, as none of them remotely flinched when he'd finally broken the silence. From another nearby spot, Midnight likewise spoke up: "I have to agree, you guys. Kieslowska-chan's shown considerable natural ability and a willingness to take on everything we've thrown at her since she started coming here. If the Commission really is as short-staffed as I suspected, then I can't imagine they would turn their noses at the thought of giving her a specialized chance. Surely there are some other late-starting students across the country that they could include in order to make the returns more worthwhile."

Vlad King let out a mildly annoyed grumble from within his throat. "Neither of you are wrong. She's been getting consistently good grades in all our classes, including both Hero Course classes. She gets along especially well with many students from both classes as well, it seems; so it's not like there would be any lack of adaptability when it comes to working together with any one of them out in the field."

Tunguska was already nodding his head rhythmically with every point the Class 1-B homeroom teacher was making, as if he was simply motioning for the man to get to the point they all knew was there.

However, Aizawa's sigh was as disappointed as it was tired. "but it's precisely because the Commission has its resources spread so thin that we can't just ask them to hammer out some last-second excuse for an exam for the sake of her and a few other straggler students, especially after they already had their remedial exam for Bakugo and Todoroki. They need quality Heroes out there on the field with their licenses; so the time and resources needed for a full-scale exam is exactly what Kieslowska and others need and deserve, just like everybody else…and those are two things that just aren't readily available when we want them to be…unfortunately."

The teachers all found themselves in a considerable situation. There was barely more than a week left before internships would begin again, and they needed to do something for Maja in order to help further develop her skills and her desire to become a Hero, and not simply have her waste away here, left behind while everyone else went out to gain honest field experience again. But the Commission and Hero society as a whole had these rules put in place for a reason, in order to better secure the safety of not only the public, but of the Hero students themselves. They needed to prove themselves capable and professional in any number of situations in order to get their licenses and prove their worth. To just let any big-headed child with nothing but a dream and no experience go out to rescue civilians in danger, or fight an honest-to-god Villain, would be tantamount to an execution. Everybody essentially knew this.

And that was when a previously hesitant sensation of inspiration let itself be known to Tunguska again, as he took a deep breath in preparation for any number of responses. "You know what? The rules about malenkaya Kieslowska being here are that she has to be under the constant supervision of at least one teacher from here, correct? Well, what if she were to accompany malenkii Kirishima and myself when we return to working with Fatgum-san, as a purely observant ride-along? He's supposed to be my official intern, and as a teacher here, I would still be fulfilling the rule that she be under watch at all times, so would that be an entirely unheard of alternative while she doesn't have her license? Obviously I'll need to run this by Fatgum-san and Nezu-san before anything else, but what do you all think?"

Everyone's looks of pure skepticism were anything but surprising, but Tunguska knew he needed to suggest it at the very least and hopefully get a second opinion. And that second opinion came immediately, as Midnight opined: "That sounds really iffy, Tunguska-san. I mean, suppose you were allowed to take her along; what would happen if you were to find yourselves in another battle that gets civilians involved? Legally speaking, she wouldn't be allowed to do anything to intervene without her license. That's not even mentioning what could be liable to happen to you as her chaperone."

With a hand tucked to his pointed chin in similar contemplation, Toshinori added: "Yes, plus I've been hearing that Kirishima-shonen has been rather insistent in inviting Tetsutetsu-shonen along to intern under you and Fatgum-san, and he's all but officially accepted it already. It's rather unprecedented for a Pro Hero to take on so many interns all at once. Are you sure you both wouldn't be taking on too much responsibility with three students around while conducting Pro Hero work? We'd have no problem giving her a full lecture and training rundown as rigorous as any internship if that's what it would take."

However, as much as he knew his peers' points were all quite valid, Tunguska looked unflinching in his idea, a smile of the utmost confidence upon his face. "If Fatgum-san and Nezu-san say no, then I have no doubts about any of what you're saying. But on the astronomical off chance they say yes to me bringing her along, consequences and all…think of it like this: as Heroes, our very lives are defined by making the seemingly impossible a reality. Perhaps training malenkie Kirishima, Tetsutetsu and Kieslowska altogether is just another example of that.

"Besides, there's something that had been nagging at the back of my mind since I'd thought of this idea: the battle Kolya and his friends had against Vukodlak back in Erubi City. They pulled that off all on their own without any Pro Heroes to assist them, despite the fact none of them had their licenses then. Because one of the Pros they'd been learning under had given them express permission with witnesses for when the media and the authorities would arrive, they were effectively given the same freedom that a license would have. So by that extension, if I'm allowed to take malenkaya Kieslowska with us, she would likewise be technically learning under Fatgum-san and myself…and if a situation were to unfold that would be just a bit too much for both of us and malenkie Kirishima and Tetsutetsu to handle, then if I were to give spoken permission for her to act, then she should likewise fall under the same contextual protection, wouldn't she?"

He had to fight the urge to start smiling with hopeful anticipation when none of his fellow teachers present could come up with a justifiable argument against what he was suggesting. There was no denying he'd put a great deal of thought into this. If he'd wanted to avoid any accusations of favoritism or nepotism by insisting on taking his son on as an intern, then it was only understandable that he would want to devote nearly as much of that same energy towards a friend the boy and his classmates all clearly cared a great deal about.

Of course, until Nezu and Fatgum said their pieces about the matter, anything about the future for Maja's potential ride-along education was speculation at best, and a pipe dream at worst. Regardless of how it turned out, Aizawa spoke out in steadfast confidence in his opinion on the matter: "I still think this is a very reckless decision you're making, Tunguska."

VRRRM!

Suddenly, both Tunguska and Toshinori's phones began to vibrate; spurring the two men to attention once they saw the number on the other end was that of the detective Tsukauchi Naomasa. It had been far too long since they'd last heard from him, so the anticipation and curiosity of just what it was he had to share with them was simply too much for them to ignore.

As soon as they were in the privacy of the lounging room, they finally answered: "Tsukauchi-san, hello! How are you?"

But Toshinori's casual joviality was not mirrored by the deep seriousness in Naomasa's response: "I'm sorry to spring this on you both so suddenly, All Might, Tunguska-san…but there's been a recent advance in our information regarding the League of Villains that you both need to be informed of ASAP. Unfortunately, the rest of my work has me tied up at the moment. Is there any way the two of you can come here first thing tomorrow morning? This is something that can't be adequately explained through a text or even a phone call."

There was no earthly way they could turn down such insistence. Toshinori hung up the call with a deeply troubled look of confusion on his skinnier face, while Tunguska was likewise now restless within as to just what could've had the detective sounding nearly as unsettled as he had.

This was indeed too important to let wait any longer than it already would need to…but the Sun of Justice still found himself hoping that things would go smoothly enough to where he wouldn't risk being late for the plans he had in store for Nikolay and his friends tomorrow…some of which required him needing to reach out to one or two personally for preparation.

…

Thursday, December 25th

Tunguska and Toshinori had woken up and hit the trains just barely before the sun had risen. The morning light on this particular crisp and cold morning left a near magical glisten on all the outsides of the buildings in the city by the time they had finally reached the police station, where they were quickly led to one of the smaller interrogation rooms; wherein they were met by the especially surprising duo of Naomasa…and Toshinori's former sidekick, the now-Quirkless and retired former Pro Hero, now independent detective known as Mirai Sasaki a.k.a. Sir Nighteye.

Obviously, the sight of Toshinori now looking even skinnier than he had been before, got a kneejerk reaction of dismay out of his former sidekick. Upon seeing this, the former Symbol of Peace took it upon himself to try and lift the mood between them all, smiling as happily as he possibly could. "It's so wonderful to see you back on your feet and so active again already, Mirai-san! I just knew the circumstances of our last meeting wouldn't be able to keep you down!"

The bespectacled man couldn't help but give an outwardly wry, yet inwardly grateful, smile in response to what his old and most admired friend was trying to do here, finally greeting him and their Russian ally both. "It's good to see you both again as well, All Might…Tunguska-san. I only wish this was under much better circumstances, but this was simply too important to let wait a moment longer than necessary."

"Yes, you sounded more…disturbed than we'd heard from you before, Tsukauchi-san. What did you find?" Tunguska added.

Naomasa and Sir Nighteye exchanged grim glances with one another before motioning for their two visitors to sit down with them. Once they did, Naomasa gave a weary sigh.

"Since I'm the head officer in the investigation into all potential activity surrounding the League of Villains, it's my responsibility to gather up all of what information I can before anyone can organize any real action to apprehend them. But very recently, I was reached out to by the Hero Public Safety Commission. They had received some potentially very grim news about just what we may really be up against when the time comes…news that was personally extended to them from the current Russian president, Konstantin Khodamchuk; the same man I believe your son and his schoolmates ended up saving alongside that town of refugees up in Hokkaido, Tunguska-san."

Tunguska could only nod in confirmation; his face taut with apprehension as to just what kind of news such a man could've had about the League that would have driven him to reach all the way out to the commission, and that they would then see the need to share with the police, if not just Naomasa himself in his position.

Naomasa continued: "I was given a transcription of the call between Madam President of the Commission and President Khodamchuk, as well as a recording of it to ensure it was real, but what he told the Commission was that when the League had escaped from Moscow, they had actually taken something with them, something they would find far more valuable than a government treasury stockpile…a potential new power or ally, in fact. They took this."

Naomasa dug into the file he'd had sitting at his side, from which he revealed a single archival photograph of what looked like an intricately designed sewing needle. Just as he himself had been; Naomasa watched the looks of confusion cross Toshinori and Tunguska's faces; the scrawnier man finally asking: "What exactly is it? It just looks like a regular needle to me, not dangerous unless you prick your thumb or poke someone in the eye with it…or eat it."

As Tunguska similarly nodded, albeit with a furrowed brow, Naomasa proceeded: "According to President Khodamchuk and what government officials in Russia were left after the Moscow attack, that needle carries something inside of it. I had to listen to the recording and look over the transcription multiple times to make sure I wasn't misunderstanding anything…but according to all of them, that needle is a vessel for an apparent being that's far, far older than the age of Quirks in which we live. He called this being…forgive me, my katakana for these Slavic names is rough at best…he called it…K-Koschei the…either the immortal…undying…or Deathless?"

SKRRRRRK!

Tunguska immediately shot right up from his seat, his chair grinding hard against the floor as he clutched the edge of the table to the point the reinforced wood and steel was snapping and warping in his hands. Toshinori immediately looked to see what was wrong…until he saw the look of abject terror reflected in his face. "T-Tunguska-san?! What's wrong?! Does that name actually mean something to you?!"

Tunguska couldn't move his blue eyes to meet his friend's deeply worried gaze, nor the inquisitive and observant eyes of Naomasa and Nighteye, as he felt his mouth go bone dry.

"Y-yes…it does. But I…I never once believed he was actually real…it sounds so unbelievable. Koschei the Deathless is a character in so many of my country's oldest folk tales; a king who was incapable of dying, because he had the ability to transfer his soul into any number of vessels within each other as he wished…but that was just one of the powers he was said to have in those stories. To think that he is actually real is incredible enough…it sounds completely insane, whether you think about it or not."

Naomasa nodded. "I thought it sounded too farfetched to be real as well; especially when he told the Commission of this Koschei's origins…but when I listened to the call itself…there was a fear lining his voice that nobody has ever been able to fake in all my years as a detective. As insane as it sounds…whoever or whatever this Koschei the Deathless is, is very real."

Tunguska finally lowered himself heavily into his seat, his heart thundering against his ribs; a look of pure and utter shock on his face. "It's insane to consider…but also incredible, because his being real actually adds credence to the belief that the powers we now call Quirks have in fact existed far longer than we ever imagined. But beyond that…if the League of Villains has him in their possession…then we're up against an even greater threat than we thought; especially if the rules the stories had about him are just as genuine."

This news left Toshinori with a suffocating feeling of now racing against an unseen clock, as he looked to Naomasa and Nighteye imploringly. "The implications this character's existence has on the actual history of Quirks is a matter for far more expert heads than ours. Right now we just need to know: what could the League or All For One hope to accomplish by taking this needle with what I can only assume is Koschei's soul for their own? What would he be able to help them do that they couldn't previously with all their Quirks at their disposal?"

Unfortunately, none of his colleagues looked to have any answers; most disheartening of all being Tunguska, as the three all clearly looked to him to have some kind of idea as a local.

"Unfortunately, the stories about Koschei have all either been incredibly vague or inconsistent about what his powers are outside of his immortality through soul transference and securing. Some say that was the extent of his power, while others speculated his power to negate death could extend to those he saw fit. Whether that means he could make someone immortal or resurrect the dead, I don't know.

"I just have to imagine that if he did have an entire kingdom like the stories said he did, then there must've been some kind of power he could exert over others in order to make that happen. The best I can come up with is that if there's no physical body that he now lives in, and that needle is the only vessel his soul is kept in now, then perhaps he talked someone in the League to take him along in exchange for power…or perhaps they don't even know what they have and simply saw this needle as something potentially valuable, there's just too much we don't know about why they took it and what powers he actually has."

"Unfortunately, this isn't the only new development in the investigation." Sir Nighteye suddenly spoke up, drawing all eyes in the room to him again, as he drew out his own folder; within which were a couple photos of two different men, and two burned down buildings and autopsy reports.

"I've been conducting an investigation of my own into the Deika City incident. Something about the official story behind it hasn't been sitting right with me…but shortly before that incident had occurred, I had been looking into two seemingly separate…but to me, now increasingly connected cases as well, that both took place but only a day or two before Deika City: the death of a highly regarded retired geology professor from Tokyo University named Derashite Terakatsu; and that of a similarly celebrated seismologist named Nagazaki Ozatora."

As Toshinori, Tunguska and Naomasa all looked over Nighteye's collected paperwork, the man continued: "The latter case initially seemed rather cut and dry to me, but when I went down to investigate the former, something very peculiar stood out to me. I'd interviewed a local delivery driver who went to Derashite-san's residence rather regularly for his job, but particularly often in the couple of weeks before his reported death in the fire that destroyed his home.

"Every one of the deliveries that he took to him, was of collected soil samples from multiple different countries across the globe…and that was when the seismologist case became that much more prominent, as Nagazaki-san had likewise started ordering the same specific deliveries of foreign soil samples in the few weeks before his own death; patterns that, despite their professions, the two men had never been known to do before, to the memories of all the associates of theirs I interviewed.

"This was all suspicious enough as it was; although I needed to give them the benefit of the doubt in that perhaps they simply formed a new hobby…until Derashite-san's delivery driver told me of a brief period in which his deliveries were met by a young girl he'd never seen in that house before; claiming to be his niece who was house-sitting for him. When I interviewed his former colleagues after that, they all told me that Derashite-san had no such relations, as he had no siblings, let alone ever got married and had children, or even adopted one. What's more, he was a man who primarily stayed in his home, and yet this inconceivable period of his not being there was just around the same time as the battle in Kyushu between Endeavor, Hawks and the Nomu that attacked them.

"I know it all sounds purely coincidental, and I'd thought so as well…until I'd gotten the call to look into the completed autopsy reports for both men. Their remains had been recovered from their respective fires, but the autopsies showed that they had both died long before the fires that we initially believed to have been their causes of death; Nagazaki-san from a slit throat, and Derashite-san from a broken neck, and one far too precise and clean to have resulted from something like falling down the stairs. Both men's bodies had been kept in just the right temperate conditions in their homes to greatly slow down decomposition for the weeks in which those soil deliveries started being made, before the culprits took off and set the places alight.

"Lastly, while there was a short-term power outage in the area of Derashite-san's home at just around the time those soil deliveries started; on the very same day his house went up in flames, a traffic camera caught visual of a car fleeing the scene with a license plate that connected it to an identical car that had been reported stolen in a relatively distant city, not a day before that aforementioned power outage, which prevented us from seeing that car actually arrive at that residence, which we believe is the time Derashite-san was killed…and when looking through the snapshots as that same departing car made a fortuitous turn, it managed to get a momentary look at the person sitting in the passenger seat via the passenger-side rear view mirror. Look."

Nighteye proceeded to inch the photograph from the traffic camera forward, and as soon as Toshinori and Tunguska looked, they felt their eyes widen and their blood grow cold.

For in that photo, captured at just the right moment to provide the clarity and proof they needed, they could see the unmistakable face of Himiko Toga within the reflection of that mirror. From out of a whole story that had seemed like it had less and less to do with the League, Nighteye had proven resourceful and thorough enough to find the one trait that tied it all back together.

But that still left one new vital question unanswered, as Toshinori crossed his arms furtively. "Alright, so based on all the information we currently have, including the fact that Vukodlak is with the League and possesses a Quirk that allowed him to disguise himself; this photo all but confirms that he's either the one driving the car in this photo, or it could be Bubaigawara Jin or one of his Copies, and Vukodlak was disguising himself as the seismologist, and they were both working towards the same goal. But going by the idea that this Koschei character is real and in the possession of the League, why would that suddenly necessitate them collecting soil samples from all over the world? Do any of the stories revolving around him make any mention of any of his supposed powers requiring that?"

Alas, there was nothing but plain and simple regret on Tunguska's face. "I'm sorry, everyone. As I said before, there are so many stories of him with so many inconsistencies between them, there's no way of telling if any one of them are real outside of his apparent immortality. But this whole soil story…it does remind me of one story I was particularly fond of that my father would often tell me. It was often considered the last of the stories featuring Koschei the Deathless, as it told of his confrontation by one of Russia's most celebrated mythical Heroes of old, the bogatyr known as Ilya Muromets; the same Hero who fought a bandit with a superhuman whistle whom Kolya took his Hero name after.

"Ilya Muromets was a warrior who gained inhuman strength when fighting on the soil of the Motherland, and he was said to be the Hero who came the closest to forever vanquishing Koschei by destroying his seemingly immortal body, leaving his spirit within nothing more than its basest container, this very sewing needle we're looking at now, with no means to transfer it and his soul together into another vessel. But why the League would feel the need to gather soil for him, I honestly have no idea."

Disappointment now hung heavy over all four men's heads; now having a far greater deal of danger at the hands of the League they had to find some means of preparing for; not to mention the game-changing revelation of such an ancient figure from so far back actually being real, and thus proving that Quirks existed far longer than these last three-hundred years in which they had been so widespread.

As Tunguska pinched the bridge of his nose in exasperation, Toshinori addressed Naomasa and Sir Nighteye: "Thank you both for bringing so much of this information to our attention, Nighteye-san, Naomasa-san. We'll bring this up to Nezu-san and the others as soon as we get back to Yuuei. Can you do us a favor and keep us posted if any further developments of this kind of weight reach your desks?"

As soon as Naomasa and Nighteye confirmed, Tunguska suddenly rose up in his seat, looking Nighteye in the eye specifically: "Actually, there's something else I would like to ask of you personally, if it's alright, Nighteye-san…you see, it's in regards to my son, Kolya."

Toshinori looked to his foreign friend with wide-eyed confusion as to just what he was thinking, while Nighteye looked similarly confused as to why this was being asked of him when he'd never even met Tunguska's son even once before.

However, since Tunguska knew that Naomasa didn't know the truth about One For All to begin with, he still had the good grace to make his request as subtle and unrevealing as he possibly could. "You see, his Quirk recently started acting up in a way that neither of us expected, and since his Quirk is quite different from either my own or his mother's; I simply wanted to see if there was any possibility of his Quirk possibly being linked to anyone from his mother's family line. I already known it hasn't resembled anyone from mine. I can give you whatever information about his mother you would need to get started…of course, only if it's alright to ask this of you, and depending what investigative resources you have access to. I'm only asking this as a concerned father wanting to make sure his son isn't at risk of risking his life just by using his Quirk the further it grows. You can understand this, can't you?"

As soon as Toshinori felt his racing heart steady with an air of calm once he realized just what Tunguska was really doing; Nighteye's own confused expression shifted to one of a similar understanding as he nodded. "I'm not officially under the employment of the police, Tunguska-san…so I would say that actually grants me further investigative freedom. You simply want me to try and dig up whatever information I can find on his mother's ancestry, or their Quirks, correct? If you simply give me her name and information, I can take it from there. As Heroes taking on interns in order to raise them into the best Heroes they can be, that might as well be a parenthood entirely unto itself, so I understand completely."

Tunguska felt like he nearly could have embraced the former sidekick of All Might for his compassion, as he sank back into his seat with a sigh of pure relief. "Bolshoi spasibo, Nighteye-san. At least that's one good thing with no strings attached we can walk away with from this…although I suppose the fact we've had the students all living in the dorms for four months now with no signs of any suspicious activity or espionage is another great weight off the mind."

Toshinori nodded wholeheartedly. "Yes, it still pains me that we had them all move into those dorms with the goal of rooting out the potential traitor for the League of Villains being even one of the reasons at all. A teacher should never have to suspect a student of such a terrible crime…but perhaps after this much time having passed with no such sign, this can put the rest of the teachers' suspicions to rest. The kids in both Hero Course classes all have the bright and burning hearts of true Heroes, without a doubt."

While Naomasa hadn't personally seen any of the students themselves in action thus far; Nighteye could certainly agree with Toshinori's sentiment, just as Tunguska obviously could. With that and no further developments in the investigation to be shared; the two duos of men finally thanked each other for what help they were able to give, and bid each other fond farewell.

As Tunguska and Toshinori emerged back out into the biting cold of the morning winter air, Tunguska gave out a tired groan as he stretched himself out. "Well, I'd say it's about high time we got back to Yuuei, wouldn't you agree, moi drug (my friend)?"

To his surprise, though, Toshinori slightly shook his head. "Actually, I still have to finish up organizing the last of the refurbished notes for Midoriya-shonen, but don't let me stop you from enjoying the rest of the day as you see fit."

As the former Symbol of Peace began to take his leave, Tunguska looked at him with complete confusion. "You make it sound so nonchalant! Toshinori-san, did you actually forget just what day it actually is today? Why do you think I was in such a rush to talk to some of the students after our little conversation yesterday? This is essentially the perfect day for you to give malenkii Midoriya those notes!"

And like a strike of lightning to the brain, Toshinori's sunken blue eyes widened to three times their size as he suddenly remembered just what day it was.

…

Class 1-A Dorms

"MERRY CHRISTMAS/ JOYEUX NOËL/ SCHASTLIVOGO ROZHDESTVA!"

The students of Class 1-A had spent all of the previous day pulling out all the stops to preparing their very first class-wide Christmas party together. Nikolay, Yuga, Rikido and Tenya had taken to working together as one multi-faceted team in the kitchen in order to whip up a feast that they would all never be able to forget, while the rest of the boys took care of the decorations in the commons area, and all the girls had taken it upon themselves to design and put together costumes for the entire class; each one bearing a little personal touch so they would never be able to mistake which one was for who.

For instances, while the majority of their Santa Claus-based costumes were the traditional red with white trim; Mina had made special note to not only have the puffball for Nikolay's hat be shaped like a series of further spreading circles connected by tiny little metal pieces for stabilization so it could resemble the spread of a shockwave (much like how the puffballs for every student's hat distinctly echoed back to their respective Quirks), but she had also insisted that the body for his needed to be green, since she and they all knew by now that it was the young Russian's favorite color.

And in a similar case whose details she insisted she needed to keep to herself until the time was right, Ochako insisted that her costume not only be much longer in body than everyone else's, but also that her hat be more circular instead of the slouching cone-shape of all the others, and that the body needed to be a bright blue.

But at the end of all their hard work the previous day, Christmas Day had finally come, and from the very beginning, the festivities had kicked right off with a raucous cheer across nearly the entire class, as everyone but Bakugo happily donned their respective holiday costumes. Not only did Tooru and Tsuyu both marvel at just how on-the-money Mina's fashion judgment had been with how good Nikolay looked in his distinct green Christmas outfit (to which Mina herself referred to him as her Santa's one and only elf needed, to his fluster), but everyone was already marveling at how much Ochako's blue robe-like costume stood out, with Mina, Tooru and Tsuyu all swooning over how much cuter it made her look as a result (until Mina and Denki then proceeded to focus their attention on chasing Bakugo across the commons area with his costume, despite his constant threats).

But while everyone's compliments (especially from a blushing Izuku) of her attire left Ochako bright red in the face as it was, she hadn't expected it to get the kind of reaction that it did from Nikolay, as he looked utterly star-struck with a recognition only he could have. "Uraraka-san, you actually dressed up like Snegurochka*? How did you even think to do something so specific? Is that what you and my Dad were talking about on Monday? Was this his idea? You don't have to hide it any more if it's true; I'm honestly really touched you would do something like this for us. I can't wait for him to see you like this; it's amazing how natural this looks on you."

Ochako could barely find the words to express her relief that she didn't ruin the atmosphere of the party with a costume that stood out so much, as well as her gratitude for everyone's compliments. From there, the party was abuzz with all kinds of goodhearted chatter; especially helped by the fact that by now, nearly everyone had submitted their applications for the returning Pro Hero internships after New Years, and they had all been universally accepted. In fact, the day Mina had gotten her acceptance notification about her potential internship with Mirko, even if it specified it was only for an initial test run; her cheers had almost been enough to blow the roof off the entire dorm building.

And fortunately, a lot of those left uncertain of where they would go had managed to find their miraculous solutions by now as well. As Nikolay continued working on the last touches for the food alongside Rikido and Yuga; many of their classmates were talking about that very thing.

After having lost Ryukyu in the worst possible way, it was only natural that everyone had been worried of where Ochako and Tsuyu would go, since Nejire had already been accepted into the Kamuron Hero Agency since that fateful day.

But an answer had come from the least expected of places, as Tsuyu had decided to double back and focus on her former mentor from Field Training: Selkie, who specialized in marine-based Hero work, who had not only accepted the offer to take his old intern back with open arms, but had even happily extended the offer to Ochako without even needing to be convinced of it.

However, even though they didn't want to risk dampening the mood; the same issue lingered for those select few among the students that had yet to find a place to intern under. Tenya had still found himself undecided as to where he would go that would be able to properly help him build off of what he had already learned under Knightfall; just as Izuku had been forced to admit being caught in a state of limbo, since he couldn't go back to interning under Gran Torino, and the Bright Future Agency was utterly swamped with paperwork and field work, thus leaving Mirio, Centipeder and Bubble Girl all far too busy to take on an intern again without Sir Nighteye to coordinate and run things.

Eijirou, with his own curiosity as to Izuku and Tenya's decisions having somewhat been fulfilled, just as quickly turned his eager attention to Nikolay, who by now was just in the middle of adding the final spices and herbs to the roasted turkey he and Rikido had been slaving over to make just right. "How about you, Kolya-san? Any idea if you're gonna be sticking it out up in Hokkaido? I mean, with Ashido going off to train under Mirko, at least it'll still be you and Jirou-san up there, right?"

Nikolay initially couldn't help but chuckle at the fact Eijirou had apparently missed out on the news that Kyouka had likewise decided to follow Blast beat's advice and go where she felt in her heart she needed to go next. However, from there, his expression slightly sank. "Honestly, I'm still trying to figure that out, myself. I mean, it's not like there aren't some standout options. Dad told me that while we were being carried off for medical treatment back at Nabu Island, he actually got to meet the Number Two Hero, Hawks; and that he'd actually admitted to considering taking me on as an intern after the Sports Festival. If I can't decide on anyone else, I can't imagine a Hero as highly ranked as him couldn't be capable of training me and Tokoyami-san together."

The encouraging fist bump to Nikolay's arm from Eijirou was swift, but not at all unexpected, as the red-haired young man was grinning excitedly. "That's the spirit, man! Going into new things head-first is totally the manly way to do things! Tetsutetsu and I are both gonna be interning with Amajiki-senpai under Fatgum-sensei and Tunguska-sensei! I'm so excited, the New Year just can't come soon enough!"

With a greatly amused chuckle, Maja (her costume's puffball on the hat resembling a candlestick with a flame-shaped poof on the end) stepped forward; meeting his enthusiasm by grabbing one of the nearby gingerbread men off the table and shoving it into his mouth. "Save it for when you're actually out there, Kolce. No need to burn yourself out just thinking about it."

Hurriedly downing the sudden pastry that had been shoved into his gullet, Eijirou was unperturbed in his excitement as he addressed his recent Polish friend. "I can't help it, though, internships have been so exciting! Man, I wish you could get your license already so you could come with us, Maja-san! We could go from a dynamic duo to a terrific trio, I can just feel it!"

With another hearty laugh, Maja replied: "The more you say it, the more I wish the same, buddy, believe me. I feel like we're like a regular three musketeers, the way we bullshit each other for kicks and giggles. But don't let me not being there get you all discouraged, alright? If I hear you start letting yourself fall by the wayside without me there to complete our little clique, then I'm whooping your ass, no matter what."

However, by now, Eijirou's eagerness for their internships had snapped his attention back to Bakugo, who was in the middle of having his costume and its matching hat get forced onto him by a chuckling Mina and Denki, who both hurriedly fled after he shot a murderous sneer their way. "How about you, Bakugo?! You gonna go back to Best Jeanist or what?"

Instead of the normal reaction everyone had been bracing for, of Bakugo telling Eijirou to mind his own business; his furious expression instead softened with intense thought as he simply answered: "I don't know yet."

The truth was that, as far as he could tell, he was the only student in the class to have heard about the Number Three Hero's recent disappearance, with none of his sidekicks or any other Pro Heroes having said anything further about whether they'd found him or not.

Bakugo didn't want anyone to know it, but the more he'd been thinking about his former mentor from Field Training after that news, the more he felt an indescribable weight start building in the pit of his stomach; a weight only growing by the day as he oftentimes found himself thinking back to one of the very few interactions between them that he had actually come to consider remotely meaningful:

"Bakugo-kun, is it true what I have heard from your teachers, that you don't actually have your Hero name yet?"

"That's bullshit! I had a whole bunch of names, but those clean-cut saps shot 'em all down!"

"Oh? Care to share what some of your ideas were?"

"KING EXPLOSION MURDER! LORD EXPLOSION MURDER! EXPLOSION MURDER!"

"Tsch, honestly, still such a child. Bakugo-kun, your Hero alias is meant to represent your true desires. It is the embodiment of the man you wish to see yourself become; your ideal self. You are still naïve to the ways of the real world. But I hope to show you that world one day before you set out on your own as a Pro Hero. Once you've earned your Provisional License in your second year, return to me…and on that day, tell me your chosen name."

But as Bakugo had thought back on this once all-but-forgotten memory; Eijirou's supportive energy was completely blind to it, as he innocently chimed in to his apparent best friend: "Hey, no need to sweat it, man! You're til the guy who got scouted by pretty much everyone, thanks to the Sports Festival! You've got the pick of the litter!"

But as Bakugo apathetically removed his costume, to the chagrin of Mina and Denki, he bluntly answered: "All those losers? No thanks; what could I possibly learn from them?"

But Maja, by now unable to help but reflect Eijirou's optimism, chimed in with a confident smirk: "Hey, if you c an't make up your mind, then why not stick around here with me, and we can spend all that interning time training together! What do you say, Krótki Bezpiecznik (Short Fuse)?"

While Eijirou and nearly everyone else looked happily that their Polish semi-classmate now had enough regard for Bakugo to give him his own nickname in her language, he looked utterly livid all over again. "Like hell I'm going to waste the time I could spend learning under an actual Hero by wasting away here with the likes of you! And don't you ever address me in tongues like that again!"

SLAM!

Suddenly, Minoru slammed his hands impatiently to the table; his face wrought with a frothing anger at just what it was he was hearing from all his classmates. "C'MON YOU GUYS, THIS IS SUPPOSED TO BE A SACRED DAY FOR OUR YOUTH, AND YOU'RE SPENDING IT DWELLING ON SCHOOL STUFF LIKE EVERY OTHER DAY! CAN'T YOU JUST GIVE THAT A REST AND BE FESTIVE FOR ONCE?!"

While his demeanor left a great deal to be desired, nobody could argue that Minoru actually made a very valid point. Hence, when Nikolay, Yuga and Rikido all finally emerged from the kitchen area with the whole class feast in tow; everyone could finally put their minds off of anything remotely school related, and instead be able to put their energy towards celebrating Christmas properly.

And as everyone was about to partake of the absolute smorgasbord now laid out before them; Ochako could feel her phone start to hum, and when she saw the text message within it, her already cheerful face lit up that much more. Now the occasion for her very specific costume was finally about to reveal itself.

But even delicious food, snow and the festive spirit of the season and the holiday was just the beginning. Shortly after Minoru's plea had finally gotten the party really going; the class soon found themselves being graced with a most unexpected but abundantly welcome visitor: Aizawa, accompanied by the irresistibly adorable Eri, dressed in her own little Santa outfit; nervously but steadfastly greeting her teenage hosts with "trick-or-treat"; a sight that had Ochako and nearly all the other girls collapsing weak at the knees from something so precious.

Everyone could only assume, based on what they'd gleaned from the little girl's disposition and lack of common knowledge, that this was undoubtedly her very first Christmas as well; hence the overwhelming and unifying desire to give her the best Christmas party experience of all time became Class 1-A's de facto goal on this day, as she soon found herself being treated with all kinds of delicious foods, being serenaded and invited to learn and join in numerous Christmas carols led naturally by Kyouka and her guitar, and even being invited to have the honor of putting the decorative star at the top of the tree adorning the hearth area of the commons area.

Everyone was so deeply enraptured in treating Eri like the guest of honor; even as she initially tried to gift anyone she could with a handful of painted eggs in another adorable confusion between holidays; that none of them but Izuku truly took notice of how the single horn adorning her forehead had noticeably grown in size from the last time he had seen her. Yet despite this, she looked to be having none of the previous struggles she'd had in restraining her Quirk. That, in its own way, was a gift on this day that simply couldn't be compared to anything else in just how wonderful it was, solely for her sake. Clearly the training Aizawa had been putting her through was already yielding great results.

Barely an hour into the party, though; the front door nearly came bursting open, snapping everyone to full attention, only to be met with a sight that none but Ochako had expected, but Nikolay had since been coming to suspect: the sight of Tunguska lumbering in, dressed in an even thicker and more ornately-decorated blue and white-trimmed Christmas outfit with what almost looked like a large yuletide-esque crown upon his head; his already bearded face festooned with an even more massive white beard and fake thick eyebrows that almost completely obscured his eyes; all while carrying a large sack over his shoulder in one hand, and a long staff in the other that looked like it should have been in the hands of a wizard, instead of Russia's own Father Christmas, Ded Moroz, with Ochako finally being able to stand at his side as his mythology-accurate daughter, Snegurochka; a matching pair that finally made her costume make just as much sense to the rest of the class as it had to Nikolay himself.

Naturally, with Eri still being so enraptured yet unfamiliar with everything everyone was doing throughout the party centered around this holiday; the sight of a colossal bearded man like this steadily making his way toward her while laughing so heartily couldn't help but be initially frightening, as she instinctively tried to hide behind Aizawa.

However, when the tired-looking teacher instead knelt down to her level and moved aside so she could look at the giant glittery-looking bearded man before her; Tunguska, keeping in character, likewise knelt down and looked Eri in the eye. "I understand this is a very special someone's very first Christmas; someone who I hear has been an especially good girl this year. I would like to give that special girl a very special gift."

Eri kept looking uncertainly between him and Aizawa. But when he gave her a reassuring nod of encouragement, alongside Izuku sincerely telling her she had no reason to be afraid; she finally proceeded to nervously take one step forward after another towards Tunguska, who finally proceeded to open his sack of gifts for Ochako to go perusing through with a smile, before finally finding just what she knew would be the best gift for the wide-eyed little horned angel.

Without further hesitation, Tunguska pretty much gave Ochako the floor: "Let Ded Moroz's loyal snow sprite of a daughter show you just what his magic bag of gifts has for you, little one."

Kneeling down with a smile while looking Eri in the eye, Ochako proceeded to bring her hands forward, revealing a glistening, glittering snow globe with a miniature Yuuei Academy inside of it amid the countless floating snowflakes. Such an object was like something purely magical in Eri's eyes as she let Ochako rest it securely in her tiny open hands; the rosy-cheeked girl finally speaking up with emotional bubbling up in her voice: "Merry Christmas, Eri-chan."

As Eri hugged this incredible gift to her chest and tearfully thanked Ochako and Tunguska both for it; the rest of the party practically exploded in holiday cheer, as Tunguska's entrance finally spurred everyone into one of the by far most anticipated parts of the party: the gift exchange.

From the beginning, though, when Nikolay saw how every one of his classmates were actually only gifting one present to one classmate of their choosing, he felt a weight of embarrassment plummet into his stomach. "Wait, I didn't think we were doing a Secret Santa kind of thing, I thought this was something where we would be each be getting a gift for everyone in class. That's what I did."

Everyone looked completely blindsided by this reveal on the young Russian's part, as he pointed out the multitude of tiny wrapped presents that he had sneakily hidden under the tree the previous night; now caught in a moment of disbelief that they hadn't even noticed them among all the other larger gifts they had gotten for the classmate of their choosing.

Nikolay hastily started gathering up all the tiny gifts and handing them out to his classmates as per their names written on them. "I took the chance to have all of these commissioned for you when we'd gone to Gagaringrad on Sunday. When I'd said what they were for, the craftsmen there all but insisted on making these for all of you, even those of you that hadn't been there. They wanted to show their thanks to our class as a whole for having managed to become the kind of Heroes we already are, so I guess you could consider these to be just as much gifts from everyone up there as they are gifts from me."

What everyone proceeded to unwrap and behold had left many of them genuinely speechless; but Nikolay could feel his heart lighten when he saw it was a silence of genuine happiness.

From a tiny cast-iron sculpture of All Might for Izuku, one of Tunguska for Eijirou, a music box for Kyouka, a tiny glass lightning ball for Denki, a matryoshka doll set that was painted to look like all of the Heroes that had fought in Gagaringrad for Momo, a cube full of a continuously popping substance to resemble Bakugo's bristling palm Explosions for the hothead himself, a glass mural of multiple animals for Kouji, a glow in the dark star tapestry for Ochako, a glass cube full of multi-colored glistening microscopic gems for Yuga, a tall crystal mount that captured the light to glow blue from one angle and orange from the other for Shoto, a tiny figurine of a ballerina that could articulate its joints at the push of a single button into a break-dancing pose for Mina, a custom-made teddy bear for Eri, and so many others for everyone else.

Nikolay was feeling an immense swell of pride in himself when he saw how much everyone was clearly liking their presents as it was.

But that pride and acceptance quickly came to a standstill when Mina could no longer resist; looking at her boyfriend with an eager smile: "Actually, kolya-kun, this is kinda embarrassing, but we all actually got something for you from each of us, too…y'know, since this would be your first Christmas with all of us, we wanted to try and make it as special as possible, so…ta-da!"

Every one of his classmates' gifts were simple, ranging from manga, classic books and movies to further build up his respective libraries, to commemorative little sketch pieces depicting memories of any one of their specific times spent hanging out together, to even Kyouka and Mina revealing having burned a CD recording of the two of them trying to respectively play and sing any number of his traditional Russian songs to very amusingly embarrassing effect. In the end, there was no question that it had all come straight from the heart in their own unique ways, and that made it all that much more irreplaceable, as Nikolay was now the one at a loss for words, while Tunguska could only watch on with the biggest and happiest smile on his face.

Truly, his friends were a greater gift for Nikolay than anything his father would've been able to think of pulling from an actual magic bag of gifts, and he couldn't have been happier for his son if he'd tried.

From there, the party once more erupted into full swing as everybody was chatting, singing and playing together all at once; Tunguska and Aizawa both simply sitting in silent observation of such a precious moment of unfettered childlike innocence and fun that they both knew their students more than deserved after everything they'd already experienced before this year had ended.

As Nikolay had ultimately decided to join Kyouka, Denki, Ochako and Tooru in singing Christmas carols with Tenya literally acting as conductor; Mina had decided to take a different kind of initiative now that everyone was mingling.

From out of virtually nowhere, she had eventually popped back up with a tiny branch of mistletoe in hand, scanning the commons area for any signs of a boy and a girl chatting or interacting with one another, and instantly jumping on the opportunity to hold it above their heads while wearing the most excited smile ever on her face.

However, her classmates' holiday spirit was clearly only willing to go so far in comparison to her, as one potential couple among the class after another, from Momo and Shoto, Denki and Kyouka, to Tsuyu and Fumikage or Tooru and Mashirao, nobody was willing to humor their pink-skinned classmate on this; instead simply choosing to either ignore her antics or walk away when it was clear she wasn't going to stop persisting.

Unfortunately for Mina, her insistence had ended up driving Tsuyu into warning Ochako to keep an eye out for her; doubtless realizing that she would try to get the rosy-cheeked girl and Izuku under the mistletoe together even if her life depended on it. It was the right call to make, as actually having personally exchanged gifts with Izuku already had left Ochako permanently bright red in the face, as she kept looking at the All Might keychain he had given her with a subdued but infinitely heartfelt smile on her face.

But Mina's reputation for persistence was there for a reason, and if she couldn't get her number one Class 1-A ship to set sail today of all days, then she could at least try her luck with her second. And the timing was just right, as Eijirou and Maja were currently in the middle of helping Rikido and Yuga build up a sizeable gingerbread house to complete the spread alongside Hanta, Minoru, Mezo and Kouji.

But while Mina's hopeless romantic nature was being both indulged yet torturously teased by Maja deciding to kiss two of her own fingers and quickly poke them to Eijirou's cheek when he was distracted; which left him wide eyed and as red in the face as his hair; Tooru had likewise decided to take some very surprising action of her own; snatching her own tiny branch of mistletoe from one of the countless wreaths adorning the walls, and sneaking up on Nikolay while he was busy trying to figure out how to play any Russian Christmas songs on the bass he'd hurriedly left to retrieve from his room earlier.

And unlike Maja, Tooru was a thousand times bolder; as instead of a split second peck, she instead planted her invisible lips to the hot-faced Nikolay's cheek for a good five seconds before he'd even processed what was happening; giggling adorably to herself the entire time she retreated afterwards. "Merry Christmas, Kolya-kun! I owed you for helping me get my license, so now we're finally even!"

Thankfully, the spirit of the season and Tooru's departing explanation made it so much easier for Mina to accept the sight of her invisible bestie kissing her boyfriend's face. In fact, it simply got her own teasing impulses burning white hot, as throughout the rest of the party, she was practically inseparable from Nikolay's side; either dancing and singing with him, sneaking more of Rikido's Christmas cookies into his mouth when he least expected it, or simply kissing him full on the mouth without reservation whether or not she was the one holding the mistletoe over their heads, or the one time where Ochako actually had the boldness to do so while floating high above them.

But her teasing, this time, came in the form of, throughout the rest of the party, trying to get the mistletoe over Nikolay's head whenever he was talking with any one of the other girls; ultimately answering when finally called out about it by Momo, that since Tooru got to enjoy, then it'd only be fair that any of the other girls who ever wanted could have the chance as well. Thankfully for Nikolay's burning face and racing heart, nobody else dared to take her up on the offer, with Tenya thankfully putting a pin in the whole thing for the sake of Eri being too young to see such things.

The rest of the party went by as smoothly as could be, with everyone loving their presents, eating the most delicious of Nikolay, Rikido and Yuga's food to their hearts' content, and nearly singing their throats raw with Christmas carols, with even Eri soon getting so wrapped up in all the fun, that even she eventually started to join in while making up the words as she went along.

By the time dusk had started to fall, everyone was decidedly tuckered out, but there was still a great deal of cleanup work to be done throughout the commons area, while Aizawa took a sleeping Eri back home to the faculty dorms, and Tunguska assisted with the outdoor cleanup of all the decorations.

As everyone proceeded to clean up the commons area, Nikolay took it upon himself to clean up all the dishes while everyone else took the loads over to him. But as Izuku came over with a whole tray of dishes and Bakugo cleaned out all the used cups and other trash out of the kitchen; the three boys didn't notice Shoto approaching them with intent.

"Midoriya, Bezpalov, Bakugo."

His usual blunt means of speaking reflected his unknown intent, thus catching all three boys' curious attention, while he looked them all in the eye so they could see that what he was about to say next was as sincere as could be: "I couldn't help but overhear you all talking about your uncertainties about internships. If you're all truly uncertain about what Heroes you should or could go to…if you're interested, why don't you all come with me to the current Number One instead?"

Nikolay felt his heart seize in his chest the moment Shoto's offer fully sank into his head. To actually go with him, Izuku and Bakugo and intern under the Number One Hero in all of Japan, Endeavor, sounded nothing short but miraculous and insane all at once.

Outside the three of them; the silence that fell over the whole commons area was palpable; as everyone (with Mina in particular looking torn between ecstatic excitement for them, and a girlfriend's natural concern for Nikolay) looked in wide-eyed shock to Shoto to see if there was even the slightest sign he was joking.

There was none.

Alright, everyone, and that is this newest chapter. I apologize again for having it be so delayed for uploading. Hence why the previous announcement at the beginning that this story will now be uploading a new chapter on a bi-weekly schedule, as opposed to the previous weekly schedule, at least until my work schedule opens up again.

So with that, I will see you all with the next chapter on 07/08!