It's been a long while since Damian asked her if she would like to hit the town with him on the weekend. Come to think of it, it might be the very first time he did so. He didn't count himself to be social with other people, but after hanging out with his friends and some acquaintances, he thought he was prepared to give it a try and take the initiative.

Damian was in the bathroom looking into the mirror while placing a new bandage over the left side of his cheek. After that, he took a step back to have a full look of himself wearing a dark and red hoodie with white crosses covering on his sleeves and a pair of dark blue jeans. Smiling at his personal choice of clothing, he walked out of the bathroom and picked his cellphone from the cabinet and sent a text message to Izumi.

"Morning, Damian…" Niko walked in the living room with his hair completely disheveled as he just got out of his bed, letting out a huge yawn . He was wearing only a pair of plain grey pajama pants, showing off his firm and well-defined torso with a perfect set of six-pack abs.

"Morning? Dude, it's almost midday." Damian said as he showed his cellphone so Niko could look at the time.

"Man, did I really oversleep? Oh well, at least I had an amazing night." Niko shrugged as he walked into the kitchen.

"Does that have to do with the banging noises on the walls I heard last night?" Damian asked while looking at Niko with a prying look.

"You really wanna know?" Niko casted a sly smile at him as he opened the fridge.

Damian almost shuddered at the thought of Niko sharing explicit details. "That won't be necessary, thank you. Anyway, I'll be outside. I might come back this afternoon, maybe later." He said as he kept his phone back into his pocket.

"Oh yeah, you're going out with Izumi today, right?" Niko asked as he took out a carton of milk and closed the fridge.

"Yup, we're just gonna go to the mall for a while and then we'll get some food afterwards, nothing more." Damian said with a nod of his head.

"You know, it's nice of you that you're looking to hangout with Izumi and take a break from all the training. That reminds me, how do you feel about that?" Niko replied as he leaned over the counter and drank the milk.

"Well, I feel kinda funny… and itchy, as if I'm on abstinence or something. Also a little guilty for some reason." Damian replied with an uneasy expression as he scratched his arm.

Niko let out a snort before he left the milk on the counter and walked up to the boy. "That's okay, it happens to all the fighters, I've been there before too. What you only need is some distraction to clear your mind until you're fully recovered. But most of all, have fun." He finished as he patted on Damian's shoulder.

"Thanks, man." Damian said with a smile and then made his way to exit, only to stop just one step away from the door and turned back to his legal guardian. "By the way, if your new girlfriend is still here and she's gonna stay here for a while, please don't make a huge mess while I'm gone."

Niko only chuckled and shook his head as he watched Damian leaving the apartment, aware that Damian was just poking fun at his reputation as a ladies' man, not that it bothered him though. He thought about checking his room to see if his girl was still asleep, but before he could do that, he saw the door on the far left opening and Mihono came out of the bedroom while rubbing her eyes tiredly. She was wearing one of his shirts she just borrowed that covered her entire body.

"Hey, babe. Hope you had a good sleep." Niko said gallantly and went to share a brief kiss with her, which she happily accepted as she stood on her toes playfully.

"Oh Niko, last night was so amazing! I don't remember the last time I could sleep like a baby." Mihono giggled as she clung onto him and rested her face against his broad chest, humming in delight to feel his hardened pectorals. "I hope you don't mind that I borrowed your shirt, though."

"Not at all, make yourself at home. I'll make some lunch." Niko went back to the kitchen as Mihono followed him.

"Where's Damian?" She asked after noticing the absence of the boy.

"Oh, he just left. He told me he's gonna meet with someone, which means we can have some time for ourselves. Though I guess you need to go back to your office soon, don't you?" Niko replied as he picked up a pan.

Mihano tapped her finger as she rolled her eyes thoughtfully. "Well, I don't have any appointments today, actually. So I think I can stay in your place for a little while, if that's okay~" She stood behind Niko and then swung her arms around his torso.

He turned his head over his shoulder to see Mihono wearing an almost innocent expression, but it was very clear for Niko what she really wanted. "Hmm, in that case, how good are you at cooking?" He asked and turned around with a splitting grin on his face.

After taking a few stops on the train, Damian just arrived at the apartment building where the Midoriyas were living in. Once he went upstairs to the next floor and reached their residence, he pressed the button to ring the doorbell and stood around for a moment waiting. He heard the voice of Inko behind the door answering the call and the door was opened, meeting face to face with the single mother.

"Oh, Damian! How glad to see you again!" Inko said with a happy smile on her lips.

"Good to see you too, Mrs. Midoriya. Is Izumi home?" He asked with a friendly smile.

"Yes, she's in the living room waiting for you. But come in! You're always welcome in our house!" Inko stepped aside and led the boy into her apartment.

"Heh, you're too kind, miss. We won't be here for much longer though." Damian said as he took off his shoes.

"Izumi, your friend is here!" The green-haired mother went ahead and called her daughter.

He followed Mrs. Midoriya to the living room, and he spotted Izumi sitting on a couch. "Damian!" She beamed and stood up, wearing a short jacket that matches with her hair, a plain white shirt and a pair of dark shorts.

"Hey, Izumi. You're ready to go?" Damian said nonchalantly, giving her a smile.

"Sure, I am!" Izumi replied eagerly with a blush, before she turned to her mother. "Are you sure you don't need something before we leave, mom?"

"As a matter of fact, I'd like to have a word with Damian, if it's not too much to ask." Inko said, earning a look of mild surprise from Damian.

Izumi blinked her eyes curiously as she glanced towards Damian, as he just shrugged. "Alright, I'll be waiting outside then." Izumi said and walked to the door, fully understanding that her mother must have a reason to talk to him in private.

Once they were now alone, Inko approached Damian with an expression that could be described as serene. "I don't mean to take some of your time Damian, but I just want to thank you for everything you're doing for my daughter."

"Oh, don't mention it, Mrs. Midoriya. I know how much it means to you to see her happy." Damian replied while rubbing the nape of his neck.

"It means a lot, yeah. It's been a difficult time for her to find someone who could be a friend, especially since she was diagnosed as quirkless when she was a child." Inko sighed as she looked down to the floor momentarily. She then placed her hand gently on his shoulder and raised her head back up with a softened expression. "I know you want to make up for the time you missed with her, but she's more than happy you get to spend more time with her and that's all that matters."

Damian looked at Inko with a stunned expression, but her words somewhat encouraged him to make sure Izumi would have the best day. "Thank you, Mrs. Midoriya. I'll keep that in mind."

"And stop trying to be polite and call me that! You're now a part of our family, so you should call me by my first name, you know." Inko said with a pout, making herself clear that being called 'Mrs.' would make her feel older.

"Alright, alright! Don't get so worked up about it!" Damian laughed while waving his hands. After that, he cleared his throat before giving her a sincere smile. "For real though, thanks for telling me all of this." Inko smiled back at him before she gave him a hug, which he returned. After that, he headed towards the door to leave the apartment.

"And Damian…" The boy stopped his tracks and turned back to Inko, who's now wearing a nostalgic expression. "If my husband would be here with us at this moment, he would probably tell you the same thing and how much of a good man you've become."

Damian remained silent for a moment as he could tell how much Inko misses her husband. He understood how that feels, but she wasn't telling him just for that, she was reminding him that he's actually doing so much for her family and she appreciated him for that.

"I'm sure he would. Well, I'll see you later Mrs.- I mean… Inko." He cleared his throat as the housewife chortled a giggle. Damian then proceeded to walk out the door and found Izumi leaning over the rail until she heard him getting out of the apartment.

"Everything okay?" Izumi asked with a look of concern.

Damian waved his hand with a smile. "Yeah, don't worry. Your mom was just giving me her blessing to take you somewhere."

"I get the feeling that you're just messing with me…" She said with her eyes narrowed, only to shake her head as the relief washed over her face. "Anyway, are we ready to go?"

"Sure, let's go!" Damian nodded as he and Izumi walked out of the building together, finally starting with their friendly hangout. "Say, have you ever gone to the mall before?" He asked.

"Well, can't say I never did. My mom used to take me there with a friend or just the two of us whether to celebrate my birthday or for other reasons." Izumi replied, smiling at the memories of the good times she had with her mom.

"Did she ever take you to the arcade?" Damian asked, tilting his head slightly to the side.

"Oh, yeah! She took me there once on my birthday, though that was a long time ago." The green-haired girl said with a nostalgic smile.

"Ah, so you did go in there once. Tell me, have you ever tried House of Dead before?" Damian replied with a smile, convinced that he and Izumi are gonna have a very good time.

'BANG BANG BANG BANG!'

"Reload! Reload!"

'BANG BANG BANG BANG!'

"Gosh, these things are too fast!" Izumi shouted while she tried to shoot the flying monsters to no avail, before she lost another life. "Dang it, I only have one life left!"

"Try to aim them where they're going and not just where they are!" Damian said as he managed to take down all of the flying monsters before they proceeded to the next stage and find more monsters. But just as he and Izumi started to shoot at them, one of them hit Damian and lost the last life. "Crap! Now it's up to you, Izumi!"

"Aaahhh! I don't know what I'm doing!" Izumi yelped and started to fire all over the screen, only to be her mistake when a monster got close to her and attacked her.

'GAME OVER' The arcade machine announced the end of the game after both players lost all their lives, as the screen changed to the highscore tab.

"Aw man, we lost." Izumi sighed as she left the arcade gun back into its place.

Damian did the same before he stretched his back. "Yeah, but that was very fun and you were a good shooter. I'm sure we'll get to the final boss next time." He turned around and looked all over the arcade center. "So, what would you like to try next?"

The girl hummed thoughtfully as she looked at each machine that could catch her attention, but suddenly she heard some electronic music booming from the side. She immediately turned her head sideways and spotted a small crowd surrounding a girl dancing around a platform as the lights flashed from a boombox-themed machine with a large screen.

"Wow, what is going on over there? Let's go check it out! " Izumi said as she dragged Damian along with her. Once they reached there and slipped through the crowd, they watched a pink-skinned girl with short fluffy hair dancing on the platform. Her feet were stepping on the buttons that she's earning a perfect score as it could be displayed on the screen. "Whoa… Look at her go!"

"Yeah, she must have had a lot of practice to reach that high score." Damian said with an impressed look, as he paid attention to the girl making a jump and landed on her hands, before flipping around and landed back on her feet. Somehow this seemed more familiar to him.

"Actually, this is the first time she's playing this game." He and Izumi heard a voice before they turned to the left and saw a boy standing at the other side of the platform. He was around their age with long spiky bright red hair, wearing an open white shirt with a dark one underneath and a pair of shorts.

"Wait, you mean she's getting a high score in her very first try?!" Izumi said with a look of disbelief.

Damian let out a whistle of admiration. "I don't think I could ever pull off something like that. Is she your friend?" He turned back at the red-haired boy.

"Yup! When we found out they brought a new Dance Dance Revolution game here, she wanted to give it a try and see if she could get a world-breaking record. But I can tell she's been feeling a little antsy that she needed something that would let her loose." The red-haired teenager chuckled and continued to watch his friend.

Just as he finished explaining, the pink-skinned girl spun around in the air and landed on her feet, which made the crowd gasp loudly. She was now standing still while huffing in and out, before the others realized she just finished dancing and the screen revealed she reached a new high score of over two million points. The crowd started cheering and clapping for the girl as she pumped her fist in the air, before she stepped off the platform and met up with the redheaded boy.

"Thanks!" The girl said cheerfully before drinking her water.

"You were amazing, Mina! You got everyone slacked-jaw!" He said with a smile while handing a bottle of water to her.

"Yeah! I've never seen someone who has so much talent! How did you do that?" Izumi exclaimed as she approached the dancer with Damian following her from behind.

"Oh, I'm afraid that's a little secret. But you can take a wild guess, not that you could get it right anyway." The girl by the name of Mina giggled.

Damian stood beside Izumi, having a clear look at the dancer's face to notice she was also as young as Izumi. She had a pair of thin yellow horns protruding from her head and her eyes had dark sclerae with bright yellow irises. However, it's not her appearance that caught much of his attention, but the pattern of her dance that didn't take too long for him to recognize.

"Are you perhaps a Capoeira artist?" He asked with a sly look. His answer drew a confused look from Izumi, but the boy with spiky hair and Mina were , meaning Damian got the right answer.

"How did you know that?!" The spiky haired boy asked in surprise.

"Well, I wasn't sure at first because I thought that you're a breakdancer, but as I was paying more attention to your dancing, I noticed it was more acrobatic than that. That's when I remember that there's a martial art that's very popular in Brazil, and that's the Capoeira." Damian replied knowingly, which surprised Izumi and the others more.

Mina let out a snort and folded her arms before giving Damian a sly smirk. "Well, you got me, Mr. Ace Detective. Yeah, I practiced Capoeira for a while and I thought I could use it to dominate this game, but don't tell anybody, please?" She whispered to him.

"Don't worry, your secret is safe with us. After all, we're just like you!" Izumi said with a friendly wink.

"No way, you guys are martial artists too? That's awesome!" The red-haired boy exclaimed before holding his hand out for a handshake. "I'm Kirishima, by the way. Eijiro Kirishima!"

"And I'm Mina Ashido! But you can just call me Mina" The pink-skinned girl greeted with a peace sign.

Izumi smiled as she and Damian exchanged a handshake with Krishima. "Nice to meet you! I'm Izumi and this is my friend, Damian." She introduced herself and her best friend as he held up his hand. "Hey, are you gonna be here for a while? I was thinking maybe we could have a 2v2 game together."

"Oh that's a great idea! But what game could we play? No offense, but if you pick up Dance Dance Revolution, Mina is gonna destroy you both." Kirishima chuckled as he patted Mina's shoulder to eulogize her.

"Is that so? Well… what about something with a little more action?" Damian said as he looked around to find a particular fighting game, until he spotted one just behind Mina and Kirishima. "Look, how about this Marvel vs Capcom one? Each one of us plays a match and the others will get their turn in the next. Sounds good?"

"Is that a challenge? Cause you're on, pal! I say let's go you and me first so we can make it a manly battle!" Kirishima exclaimed and punched his chest.

"Sweet! Then that means I'll deal with you later, Izumi. But be careful, cause I'm actually pretty good at this kind of game." Mina giggled mischievously at the green-haired girl.

"I don't think you should underestimate her. She may not be an expert, but she's actually good when it comes to button-smashing. Aren't you?" Damian shot an encouraging smile at Izumi.

"I don't think that even counts as a skill…" Izumi sighed, but she didn't mean to complain as he also loved the idea. Though from the looks of it, they're already become new friends.

After spending a long while having friendly matches in the arcade, the group began to feel all the excitement and fun that had worked an appetite, so they all decided to leave the arcade and have a meal at the food court. They went to a Smile Burger shop to order some burgers and fries, but what some of them didn't expect was that Damian ordered more than a dozen ration of his order.

"Um, are you sure you're gonna eat them all?" Izumi asked as she looked at the pile of burgers Damian stacked. While this wasn't the first time she'd seen him eating this much, she still could hardly believe that he would have an insatiable appetite.

"Well, duh, because I'm really hungry right now. Isn't that obvious?" Damian replied before taking a big bite of one of his hamburgers. "And why are you all shocked? You've never seen a hero who can eat this much food?"

"Heh, you have a good point. We're just surprised because we barely know you. I'm actually kinda jealous though, I wish I had a bottomless stomach so I could have a feast for myself." Kirishima laughed as he started eating his own burger.

"You can actually have that if you try to workout as hard as I am." Damian smiled as he dipped his fries with ketchup.

"So Mina, can you tell us how did you learn about Capoeira?" Izumi asked with her tone filled with curiosity.

Mina blinked as she turned towards Izumi, but her face brightened up and she was more willing to answer that. "Oh, well it's kind of a long story, but it's actually good if you'd like to hear it. When I was a little girl, my family took me to Brazil for the Mardi Gras festival. One day, when me and my dad were in the streets, we noticed a crowd gathering around two men. At first we thought they were having a fight, but after we looked closer, they were actually dancing! Of course, I was so confused because I thought they were trying to kick at each other, and that's when I met their master!"

"He's the one who ran the show?" Damian asked with a quirked eyebrow.

Mina nodded her head and continued. "When I asked him what kind of dance they're doing, he told me everything about Capoeira. He said it's more than a martial art, it's an expression that empowers your inner strength and emotions that you're repressing without even realizing. They combine combat skills with dancing not only for self-defense, but also to forget all your self-doubt and insecurities with the freestyle. I was so amazed by his words that I asked him if he could teach me to do that, but of course, my dad told me it wouldn't happen because we were just on vacation and we had to go back home eventually. But here's the best part, my master revealed he was planning to take a trip to Japan, and he didn't mind teaching me all of that! So by the time he came here, I took the chance to meet him and I started learning everything. Even though he came back to his country, I made sure I remember everything he taught me and I keep practicing to this day." She finished and continued eating.

"Wow, you must have a lot of dedication in your training, and we can relate to that." Izumi glanced at Damian with a smile, reminiscing how much her life was changed thanks to him and the martial arts. "So what about you, Kirishima? I mean, when did you meet Mina before you became friends with her?"

"Well, we both attended the same middle school, but we hadn't seen each other before. Also I wasn't the same person you're looking at right now." Kirishima replied with a sheepish laugh, rubbing the back of his neck.

Izumi blinked her eyes as if something hit her. "Wait, you mean you were different before?" She inquired as Damian was also curious.

"Yeah, he was kind of a punching bag back then. One day I saw him getting bullied because he tried to save his classmate who was getting picked, but because his Quirk wasn't that strong, he wound up getting beaten and was forced to hang around with those punks as a delivery boy. I wasn't fond of violence, but I knew I had to step in and teach those jerks a lesson so they would leave him alone. I almost got in trouble because of that, but I don't regret making the right choice." Mina let out a sigh as she remembered how she was scolded by the teacher.

"You really did the right thing, Mina. If I was in your shoes, I would do the same." Damian replied with an approving smile. Izumi also agreed with him, not to mention that she was in the same situation.

"Anyway, I followed her after school because I wanted to thank her for standing up for me. That's when I saw her practicing the Capoeira with her master, and I was so astonished as I watched her doing those sick moves all day! Of course, she eventually saw me and almost became an awkward moment between us." Kirishima laughed as he remembered her reaction when she caught him. "But after I explained everything to her, we started getting to know each other and we've been hanging out together since then. In fact, we're training and studying harder because we're planning to get into the U.A Entrance Exam! "

"Really? What a coincidence! I'm also planning to get into the entrance exams when I turn eighteen!" Izumi said cheerfully, while Damian was unresponsive at her claim as he kept munching his fifth burger.

"No way, you too? That's awesome! You're also thinking of going to the U.A with her, Damian?" Mina asked with an excited expression.

Damian was seemingly taken aback by the question but then he immediately responded with a dry chuckle. "Nah, I'm not even interested. Besides, even if I try and pass the test, would they really let someone like me get in the U.A? Fat chance."

"What do you mean by that?" Kirishima asked as he and Mina were wearing a confused look.

Izumi glanced at Damian in concern for his cynical remark, but as Mina and Kirishima were waiting for an answer, she sighed heavily and made the choice to come clean. "He means that he doesn't have a Quirk… And I don't have one either."

An uncomfortable silence filled the air between the four of them, as Mina and Kirishima were understandably shocked to learn they both are the few people who were born without a Quirk. Damian of course was just ignoring their reactions, but then he noticed Izumi was looking down at the table, wondering if she's still conflicted about her condition.

"Wait, so you're both quirkless… And you just said you're aiming to go to the U.A?" Kirishima asked Izumi with a shocked expression.

Damian thought about answering for her, but Izumi spoke before he'd utter a word. "Well, I wasn't sure about it to begin with." She said, earning another confused look from Mina and Kirishima, as Damian found himself a little surprised, but then decided to let her speak. "When I was told I'll never become a hero without a quirk, I used to think that I could be one and prove to everyone that anyone can too, with or without a quirk. But I was doing nothing but lying to myself instead of finding a way to become strong, and that's because… I didn't really believe that I could do it."

"Izumi…" Mina muttered softly as Kirishima looked downwards in deep thought.

"But that all changed when I met Damian." Izumi turned towards her best friend with a smile. "When I learned he's training in martial arts, I thought that it would help me become a hero if I become a martial artist too, but I was just being selfish to think that at the time. Damian helped me realize that life will always try to bring you down to the knees, but it's always up to you whether you find your strength to get up or stay down. I wanted to find out about my own strength, so I decided to join the martial arts. Thanks to that, I'm now feeling more confident about myself and I want to train harder so I could get the chance to enter the U.A Entrance Exam!"

Her words completely stunned Mina and Kirishima, even Damian was speechless to see how much she has grown up over the last few months. He was very glad that the time she spent training with him and his friends gave her a clear view and a new mindset that would help her become more assertive than she ever was.

Izumi broke the silence as she chuckled bashfully "Heh, sorry, I got carried away a little bit. But… uh, Kirishima?" She noticed the red-haired boy started to sniff.

"That… That is so manly!" He said, wiping the tears off his eyes as if he was deeply moved by Izumi's speech.

"Huh?" Damian and Izumi blinked, completely dumbfounded as they wondered if what Kirishima said was what they just heard.

"Yeah, what you just said is what I felt when I started training, and thanks to that I've never felt more driven to become a hero! And hey, you don't need to explain why you wanna do it, you should definitely try it!" Mina exclaimed with a big smile on her face, before she turned straight at Damian. "I also believe you could be a hero too, Damian!"

"What?" Damian said, wearing a mixed expression of surprise and confusion.

"She's right, man. I mean, it's really unfair that they're not letting the quirkless be the new heroes just because they don't have powers, but anyone can be manly in their own way, right? Also I can tell you're strong, maybe you'll be more in a couple of years to pass the Entrance Exams!" Kirishima replied with a toothy grin, as his words sounded more sincere.

"Anyway, we truly believe in you guys if you want to take a shot at the U.A. I know the odds are slim, but hey, as long as you don't give up, there's still a chance! So keep working harder, and maybe one day we all attend the U.A University together!" Mina said as she held her soda cup like she was gonna make a toast.

Damian and Izumi looked at each other in stunned silence, as they both didn't expect to receive such encouragement from a couple of teens they just met. Damian didn't know how to respond to that after realizing they're not saying that out of pity, Izumi even was aware of that.

"Well… we'll see about that." Damian said nonchalantly. A few moments later, they wrapped up the conversation as they finished with their meals, throwing the garbage into the container and leaving the trays on top of it. After that, they thought it was now the time to leave the mall as they headed to the exit.

"It was nice meeting you guys! We should do this again next time!" Mina said with a bright smile, as she and the others were now standing outside the mall.

"Yeah, and thanks for the recommendation, Damian! If it's true that there's a bunch of manly men, then we'll consider joining the Ashura's Dojo!" Kirishima stepped forward and held his hand out for a hand clasp.

Damian looked at the hand for a moment, but then smiled and clasped tightly, surprising the red-haired boy so he could feel a fraction of his strength. "I hope you will, because everyone is welcome at the Ashura's Dojo." Kirishima's smile widened before releasing Damian's hand before he and Mina bid farewell to Damian and Izumi as they walked away. The young couple waved back at them before walking in the opposite direction.

"They seem very friendly, aren't they?" Izumi asked with a cheerful smile, deeply happy to meet them.

"Yeah, and you know what's funny? You didn't ask them what kind of quirks they have when you had the chance." Damian chuckled, as he remembered Izumi's past antics.

"Hey, as much as I wanted to, I didn't want to embarrass myself in public! And besides, I didn't even bring my notebook to begin with." Izumi replied with a cute pout , which Damian only laughed at her childish behavior. When they were now crossing a bridge over a freeway, her expression slowly softened and turned back at the young fighter. "You know, I meant what I said back at the food court. I'm happy we could spend time together after a long time, and I can't thank you enough for changing my life."

Damian stopped in his tracks and turned to face Izumi with a smile. "Same here. I've been meaning to make it up to you for ghosting you for years, and… I'm very sorry for that." He said, with his smile disappearing as he looked down.

"Damian…" Izumi muttered as she could notice he's feeling guilty about it. Sure, he didn't know what could've happened to her when he wasn't still around, maybe there was something else he didn't want to tell her yet, but that didn't help that he felt responsible for leaving her alone. Knowing he must know she's not upset with him, she took a step closer to him and wrapped her arms around him, catching Damian by surprise. "You don't have to say you're sorry, Damian. I'm just glad I could see you again."

Once again, his face flushed to feel her gentle arms around him, but he smiled and returned the gesture. Good thing they were all alone for anyone to see this, but even so, he wouldn't care. "Do you still wanna do something else, or you wanna go back home already?"

Izumi broke the hug and stepped back, humming thoughtfully for a moment until she answered. "How about we go for some ice cream? I'd like to have a little dessert after lunch!"

"Oh, that would be sweet! Heh, get it? Sweet." Damian snorted, only to clear his throat. "Alright, I think it's now your turn to pick a spot. Do you know a place we could go?" Damian asked as he and Izumi continued to cross the bridge.

"Hmm, I think I have a place in mind." Izumi said with a smile.

Izumi took Damian to a park where there was an ice cream stand. Damian ordered himself a cone of vanilla ice cream with chocolate on top, as for Izumi, she ordered a strawberry one dipped with chocolate. After receiving their ice creams, they both found an empty bench to sit on and spend a moment enjoying their sweets.

"I see nothing has changed ever since the last time we've been here." Damian said while watching the kids laughing while having fun in the playground, the same place where Izumi and Damian met for the first time.

"Yeah, at first I didn't remember much about it until the day we bumped into each other. We were so young back then." Izumi said with a nostalgic smile. "I also remember my mom crying out of happiness when she saw us playing together, which I can understand because I used to be an outcast. But I don't feel like it anymore, now that I have people who care about me."

"Tell me about it. My life also changed when I met Niko. While he showed me everything a kid of my age should never know, I met some great people who understood me and wanted to help me to survive." Damian replied, growing a faint smile he didn't have for a while.

Izumi perked up at the name of Damian's mentor. "That reminds me, how did you two meet each other?" She asked, very curious.

"Heh, well… it's kind of funny story that I'm not very proud to tell." Damian chuckled, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. But after noticing Izumi silently insisting, he sighed. "Okay, first, I used to be a brat out of control. You know, the kind of child who picks a fight with everyone else."

"Y-You did?" Izumi was shocked as she never imagined Damian could be a delinquent that young. She wondered if his father knew about it, but she kept quiet and let him continue.

Damian nodded, almost feeling ashamed to look back at his past actions. "Yeah, just only with other kids who had their heads so far up in their asses, but I'm still not proud of that. Anyway, one day, a bully I beat brought his big brother and his goons just to get some payback. Of course, I was more angry than afraid, even when I was cornered, so I wound up fighting against every one of them."

BAM! CRACK! BAM!

The 10-year old beaten boy huffed his breath in and out heavily, as he was standing between the unconscious thugs as they were squirming in pain. One would never believe that a kid of his age would be capable of thrashing a bunch of big goons, let alone without a quirk.

That doesn't help the fact that he was hurt pretty badly, as his body was covered with bruises and his nose was bleeding after it was broken. He would be dead by now if he didn't keep fighting back, since those ruffians didn't even care he was just a kid. Damian then shot a glare towards the frightened bully who watched everything, he even just peed his shorts.

"You… You wanna piece of me or what?!" Damian shouted, ignoring the pain running through his body as he took a step forward.

The bully let out a frightened whimper before he dashed out of the alley while screaming. Damian sighed as he fell on his knees, with his blood dripping down from his nose. At this point he could really use some medical care, but there's no way he's going to the hospital and get questioned by the doctors about his injuries.

Suddenly, a whistle was heard. "Quite a mess you made, boy. But you're the one who really looks like shit."

Damian shot his head upward and saw a tall, burly man stepping into the alley, but he couldn't see the stranger's face as he was wearing a hood over his head.

"I'll be honest though, the fact that you could beat all these jerks on your own is really impressive. I almost feel very proud of you." The hooded man said as he stepped over a guy who was holding his bitten ear in agony.

"Who are you?! You want to fight me, asshole?! 'Cause I can do this all day!" Damian yelled, getting back to his feet and stood defiantly at the stranger.

"Listen kid, I was looking for you all day and I figured you'd be picking fights with punks on the streets." The stranger said gravely, before taking off his cloak and revealing his face with a long ponytail resting on his shoulder and his pronouncing tear troughs. "I understand what you're going through, but if you're gonna keep using violence to vent your anger, that won't make you any better than these idiots. You'd be just a feral cat."

"Shut up, you bastard! You don't know anything about me!" Damian roared before throwing a brick, only to miss when the stranger moved his head away. He then charged and made a jump, launching his fist forward to punch the stranger. But then, the man with a ponytail diverted his attack aside and grabbed Damian by the collar of his shirt, before pinning him against a wall.

"You have to leave your primal instinct aside and use your mind! Violence can only be effective if you use it with a lot of discipline and training. With that, you'll never fall victim to your own mistakes." The man replied with a scowl. "You wanna be stronger, Damian? Then let me help you."

Damian was bewildered to find out this guy even knew his name. And while he had so many questions in his mind, little did he know that from this very moment, his life would change drastically by meeting the strongest man known as Niko Tokita.

"After that day in the alley, he took me in as his pupil. At first I thought I didn't need him or anyone else, but later he made me realize that I had to stop being selfish. In the end, I started learning all about the martial arts and the secrets of the Niko style. If it weren't for him, my life would've been upside down, and I still have a lot to thank him for setting my path straight." Damian finished as he ate the last piece of his cone after eating the ice cream.

"You really think the world of him, don't you?" Izumi inquired with a smile.

Damian's smile grew and nodded. "With the time we spent together, he later became my guardian angel, but I see him more than that. He even treats me like his own son he never had, and I'd be more than happy to fill that spot for him." He said, only to realize what he just said and turned at Izumi who gave him a puzzled look. He quickly turned away and cleared his throat. "Please, don't tell anyone about what you just heard."

Izumi burst out a giggle. "Don't worry, your secret is safe with me." She said with a wink. After she finished her ice cream, she stood up and stretched her back, before looking up to the sky to notice it was getting late as it was becoming sunset. "I think that's all we want to do today. Shall we call this a day?"

"Yeah, sounds good to me. I can walk you back home." Damian said as he also raised up from the bench.

"That would be great, thank you!" Izumi nodded with a bright smile.

As they were making their way back to Izumi's apartment, she asked him how long he needed to recover before he would go back for another Kengan fight. Damian told her the good news was that it shouldn't take too long as he was making more recovery, but if necessary he would go to an official medic before he would be cleared to fight again.

Once they arrived at the apartment building, Damian followed Izumi all the way to the door of her residence. But before they could say their goodbyes, Izumi thought of sharing a few words with him first.

"Thanks for the good time, Damian. But you know, it actually felt like we were on a date." Izumi said with a sweet, albeit teasing smile.

Damian was taken aback by her remark that he couldn't hold back his cheeks from blushing. "Come on, Izumi. If that would've been a date, I should've brought you to some fancy restaurant or something."

"Oh you don't need to do that." Izumi giggled as she waved her hand. "As long as we both have fun, it's good enough for me."

Damian smiled and shook his head, but then he rubbed the back of his head while looking sideways. "You know, since I still need some time to recover, maybe we could still hang out together after school. We could invite some of our friends too, if you'd like."

"Sure! That would be a great idea!" Izumi chirped, but then she also grew a blush on her cheeks and also averted his gaze. "Hey, I didn't have the chance to repay you for everything you've done for me. So…"

Before Damian could ask, Izumi reached forward and planted a kiss on the edge of Damian's lips, shocking him. Izumi stepped back with her face growing red after making a bold move. For years she always knew she felt something for him, but never had the courage to tell him straight unless there was the right moment. After everything she went through with him, she finally made clear how she felt about him.

"S-See you tomorrow, Damian!" Izumi blurted out, struggling to not feel embarrassed as she turned around and entered her apartment.

As for Damian, he stood with a dumbfounded look and raised his hand to touch the spot where she kissed. He had so many thoughts running through his mind, he even started to feel something funny in his stomach, but all he could do was utter a simple word to make his reaction.

"Wow…" He mumbled in amazement as he could still feel the softness of her lips over the corner of his mouth, until he felt something vibrating in his pocket to realize his phone was ringing. Damian pulled it out and saw it was Niko calling him. "H-Hey Niko, what's up?"

"Yo Damian! Just wondering if everything's going well between you and Izumi." Niko said through the call.

Damian blinked before growing a big smile on his face as he kept touching his cheek. "Oh, I think it went better than I expected!"

N/A: Hey guys! I know it's been almost a year since I updated this story and sorry you had to wait for so long to see more of this. As you probably know, I've been writing so much the entire year, but I had to put some as priority and also I had problems to motivate myself to continue this one, but after looking back at the anime of Kengan Ashura, also reading the new manga series called Strike it Rich, helped me a lot to get back on the road and I finished the chapter in a short time! And I promise you that you'll see more of this in the future!

Now, the whole point of the chapter was to develop Izumi and Damian's friendship, but also to take it to the next level, and I promise more of that will come. And yeah, we also get to learn more about Damian's past and how he met Niko Tokita, and while it raises more questions than answers, I can assure you'll find out more eventually. Also, I had fun writing the introduction of Mina Ashido and Eijiro Kirishima, and yup, Mina also practices martial arts, but for Kirishima I see him more like a brawler, but hey, he can pack a punch with his quirk, right?

I hope you guys enjoyed reading this bonding moment, but now that the main characters had a break, next chapter the action will come back, and this time it will be about Izumi's venturing into the world of the underground martial arts! In fact, I know who's gonna be her first opponent, and it's someone you are gonna love to meet her! But I'll give you a little hint to hype this up. She's a character of King of Fighters, that's all I'm gonna say.

For now, I think I'll have to continue finishing the Hellwalker story and probably the Halloween Special short-story I was supposed to make, but I promise I'll go back to Unbreakable Will after that! And I wanna thank you for your never-ending support to my story! It would mean a lot to me if you spread it and share it with your friends! Also, if you know Spanish or you know someone who lives in Latin America, it would also mean a lot to me if you support my Spanish version of this story. Oh, and don't forget to support me on Twitter and my other pages if you can!

See you later!