Chapter 51: Rebuilding and Reconnecting

Izuku walked up the dorm stairs toward the second floor, feeling exhausted. They only had the third year's graduation ceremony and a homeroom class today, but it still felt like a full day of activities. Was he still recovering? Either way, there were so many people to talk to, though it still felt like he only had caught up briefly to those he could speak to. Plenty of time for that later, he mused. School started properly tomorrow.

The boy halted before his room and looked to his left at Yuga's door. After a long stare, Midoriya sighed and then proceeded to go into his room. After a short scan, it looked almost untouched compared to last year. Ojiro had helped him early in the morning to set things up before they went to the ceremony. Thankfully, setup was faster than packing.

The boy pondered what to do as it was early into the night. Those who didn't come early were still unpacking, and those who were finished had mostly turned in for the day. Izuku had already asked his girlfriend if she wanted to talk this evening, as there was much to discuss. She instead suggested they 'hang out' tomorrow with a promise of intimacy. So there was that to forward to, at least.

Before anything else could be considered, a sound Midoriya never thought he would hear while at the dorm occurred.

The meow of a cat.

Izuku waited a moment to make sure what he heard was correct. Then it came again, even louder, coming from Yuga's room!

Midoriya quickly exited and made his way over. After three soft knocks on the door, he asked, "Is everything okay in there?" He then heard a loud groan, followed by the door opening only slightly.

In the small peek of an opening was Hitoshi Shinso, who had an annoyed look on his face. "What is it Midoriya-kun? I'm busy unpacking here."

"Oh, you already moved in? I thought Yuga-kun would still be here till this weekend."

Shinso opened the door just a bit more before shaking his head. "Nah, that would be inconvenient for me to spend a few days with 2C before coming here. Aoyama-san is staying with the faculty until then."

The former general studies student had finally made the move to the hero department. Announced at the homeroom class just hours ago, he officially joined class 2A. However, there was other news, too. Aoyama was leaving. He would head back to France to finish his hero studies as a way to repent for his past actions. Even though cleared by the police for his previous deeds due to his contributions in the final day of fighting, he still didn't feel that was enough. Yuga promised to return to Japan once he was a pro hero. Sunday morning was the exit date, but Saturday night, the class was to have a going away party.

"I see. Sorry, I assumed Yuga-kun was still here."

Hitoshi leaned against his door frame and said, "It's alright. It's not like either of us said anything about that in class today." He then cleared his throat before continuing, "Well, with that out of the way, I need to get back to unpacking. So see you at class tomorrow."

Before the purple-haired teen could make a quick exit, Izuku said, "Hey, wait. What about that meow I heard coming from your room?"

Without missing a beat, Shinso answered, "Meow? Are you sure Mineta-kun wasn't listening to cat videos on his computer or something? I didn't hear anything of the sort."

However, without warning, a black cat poked its head through the crack of the door, looked up at Midoriya, and let out a loud mew.

Hitoshi's head sank as he sighed. "Well, so much for that." He turned back to his guest. "Just get in here before anyone else shows up and complicates things."

Izuku nodded before being led in. The room was indeed barely set up. The bed was laid out and various cat furniture were up, but the rest were just boxes. The host showed him to a computer chair before sitting on his bed. The cat from earlier happily jumped into Midoriya's lap. It wanted attention, and the boy complied with a few strokes against its back. He then looked up to see Shinso also had another black cat in his lap. This one looked slimmer and much more timid. Its tail was somewhat frizzed, and its eyes were locked with the guest.

Hitoshi sternly stated, "Before you ask, Aizawa-sensei knows they are here. However, I would appreciate it if you didn't blab about this to the whole class."

"I was actually going to ask what their names were first."

"Oh. Well, he's Oreo." Shinso lifted the other cat, who didn't like the gesture. "And this is Blackjack. Both boys."

"Are they related?"

"Nah. The one in your lap is an American Shorthair at age six. This is a Bombay breed and is four years old. The biggest difference is the body shape and eye color."

Upon closer inspection, Izuku noticed Oreo's eyes were pale yellow, but Blackjack's were copper orange. He had already noted the latter's slimmer build but could also see its flatter face compared to the former. "Did you have these two back in the 1C dorm?"

"No, but the two terms I was gone, they were restless at home without me. Add in what happened the last few months; they drove my parents up the wall. The option to give them up was out of the question, so I got in contact with Aizawa-sensei once I learned I would be joining 2A over the break."

Midoriya crossed his arms before saying, "But why keep it a secret? I'm sure you would become a big hit with the girls in our class." They were already madly in love with Koda's rabbit, and he could see the same reaction if not more if they learned there were two cats under their roof now.

"I don't want to bring too much attention to myself."

Izuku recalled the student stating he wasn't interested in making friends. Was that really true? Either way, he instead stated, "Well, I don't mind keeping it a secret, but Fumikage-kun is on the other side of your room, and Tenya-kun is above you. Either might have heard these two as well."

Shinso laid back into his bed, causing Blackjack to jump from his lap onto the floor. "Oh great, the bird face and the class president. I took over the worst place to bring cats into the equation." He then realized what he said and coughed. "Not to say I mind you being my next-door neighbor, Midoriya-kun."

Midoriya didn't take any offense to what he said but appreciated the gesture. "You didn't know our dorm's layout?"

"Aizawa-sensei didn't say. I only knew Mineta-kun was on this floor, that you were beside his room, and that Sato-kun was on the fifth floor. I was told nothing else."

This and the earlier comment about knowing of Minoru's computer now stood out for Izuku. Too much to ignore. "Are you friends with Minoru-kun?"

"Somewhat, I guess." Hitoshi then sighed before getting back up. By now, Blackjack had jumped onto a cat tree by the balcony window. "To be honest, I was hoping I would join class 2B, so I visited them throughout the third term to get to know them better. Since Mineta-kun and Sato-kun also came over often, I also got to know them. It wasn't all for naught, though, since your classes have become pretty buddy-buddy with them since the second term."

Right, those two had their friendships with Pony and Kendo, respectively, Izuku pondered. And for wanting to join 2B, Monoma, being an early fan of Shinso's possibility of joining their class, probably played a big factor.

"I think Aoyama-san's departure made it much more convenient for me to join 2A. In the end, I am in a hero course now, so I'll take it either way."

"That's true. Though being with us means training with Aizawa-sensei's capture weapon will be easier." At their homeroom class, they learned Eraserhead would be their homeroom teacher once more. Usually, they would get a new one each year, though due to recent events, it seemed they were changing things up.

Shinso nodded as he continued to pet his cat. "I am aware of that advantage. It will take years to perfect it, though hopefully not the six it took for Aizawa-sensei."

Midoriya wondered if mastering the tool took their homeroom teacher so long as he had to figure it out on his own. "Yeah, let's hope not. Otherwise, you'll have to pester him even after you go pro."

Hitoshi smirked and joked, " You already have such confidence in me to think I'll get my pro license?"

"Well, after everything we all went through recently it seems small potatoes compared to fighting for our, and everyone's, lives and well-being. I think you got this." Izuku then gave a thumbs up with his free hand as the other was busy stroking Oreo. By now, the cat was lying on his side across the boy's knees.

"Fair, but I got a lot of catch-up work to do, considering I was in the general course for a year. Though it looks like I'll have to wait a bit for that since we will be busy with all the rebuilding stuff."

Izuku recalled third-year student Mawata Fuwa visiting their class earlier to explain how the second and third years would be focusing on restoration efforts this term.

"I'm sure that it will work out fine since you still had all that one-on-one training with sensei the last two terms."

"It was a drag, but it did make me much stronger. Strong enough to get accepted here."

Midoriya felt he could get through it regardless. However, a statement from earlier was still swimming in his mind that he wanted to address. "So earlier, you said you wanted to join 2B over us. Is there a reason for that?" He thought being closer to Aizawa would be enough to want to gun for their class. So what was it?

"Like I said already, I don't want to bring too much attention to myself. And this class is on everyone's radar. Between everything that happened in both wars, you were mentioned by All Might-sensei on the television earlier this week, and then all the rumors the last two terms."

These points had Izuku nodding until the last one. "Rumors?!"

Shinso rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, all the dating going on in this class. Nearly half of a first-year class is certainly abnormal. You hero course students keep to yourselves, but it's all the talk of the other departments."

Midoriya didn't know what to think. He thought it was on the down low beside certain teachers and 2B. Just how far did these rumors go?

"Just wait until the new first years arrive tomorrow. We're going to get so many eyes on us going forward. I just know it." Hitoshi's gaze after he finished talking looked quite tired.

Was Shinso overreacting? It's not like Midoriya could ask many others. Hatsume probably wouldn't care. The Big Three were off doing other things. It would be a lot to ask Fuwa, as they had just met. It would be best to wait and see how tomorrow went before jumping to any conclusions. Instead, he needed to focus on now. "Well, I guess we'll find out tomorrow. Anyways, would you like some help unpacking?"

"Sure. They were meowing earlier cause I wasn't giving them enough attention as I was busy with all this. Once it's all set up, they should calm down." Hitoshi sat up and, uncharacteristically for him, proclaimed with a sudden urge of energy, "So let's get to it!"

Izuku looked over his and classmate's progress from their morning of work. He had a good vantage point on top of a ruined building. They were in a neighborhood just a few minutes by bus from school. So much debris had been cleared, and they still had all afternoon to do more. It was Thursday, and their first day of school was reconstruction duty. Though the pro heroes and civilians were doing the construction, the students cleared the way beforehand. Helping them today were Best Jeanist, Fat Gum, and his official new sidekick Suneater, and Edgeshot, even if he was just on the sideline, considering his condition.

Midoriya was sitting on the building's second floor, which had its roof cleanly broken off, eating his lunch in peace. Essentially, he was hiding from his classmates and the first years that had just arrived. The former was mostly to avoid Ida, and the latter was the cause of all the attention he got just before class started. Todoroki and Bakugo also got a good amount of a spotlight, but the class president thankfully stepped in to handle the situation. Just minutes ago, the first year came with their homeroom teacher, Cementoss, to apologize for their behavior and offer to help with minor work as 2A ate lunch provided by the thankful civilians.

I should have taken Shinso's advice to heart, he thought. Midoriya was about to take another bite of his onigiri before a grapple hook appeared to his right on a collapsed wall.

"There you are." Uraraka reeled herself into her friend's side. Her other hand held a wrap of her own lunch. "Tooru-chan said you would be trying to avoid the others."

Izuku sank his head a bit. "I'm sorry. It's just been a lot to process for the first day of school."

Ochako sat down beside the boy and unraveled her lunch. "I get it. It's surreal for me too. Just too normal."

Right, her problems vastly outweigh mine. I have no reason to complain, the boy mused. "So, are you here to cheer me up?"

"Sorta I guess. At first, I only wanted to thank you before I noticed you weren't with the rest of us."

"Thank me for what?"

"Convincing Tooru-chan to chat with me. It meant a lot, considering she's avoided talking to me about Himiko-chan since I got out of the hospital. Especially since last time it was the first thing we talked about the moment we had privacy after you two returned to U.A. about a month ago."

"Oh, well, it didn't take much." It was just one conversation.

"I appreciate it regardless." The girl began eating her own onigiri.

Izuku looked over. "Umeboshi flavor, huh? I learned Tooru-chan wasn't a fan of it while we were away."

"That's a shame, it's one of the best. What did you go with?"

"Takana greens (Japanese mustard leaf)."

"Another good one."

The two ate in silence for a short time. Eventually, Midoriya asked, "I know it's not my place to ask if you are okay considering what happened, but-."

"I'm not."

Izuku went wide-eyed. Did he overstep by asking?

However, Ochako turned and grinned. "But thanks to Tenya-kun and Tooru-chan's efforts, I at least can function for now. But it's not something that I can just solve so easily. That's why I am going to see a therapist. I don't start until next week, but it's on campus, so there's that at least."

"We have those?" Considering everything that had happened to them all this last year, it's hard to believe that this is the first Midoriya heard about it.

"It's only offered to those who get a recommendation from the faculty. I was offered it yesterday and accepted it on the spot."

Was Aizawa the one who offered it? Well, something for later to ponder more. "I hope that works out."

"I do too. It's difficult at times, but this hope of professional help keeps me together for now." Uraraka then stood up, and their expression turned more serious. "But enough about me. I said my piece. Now I want to focus on you."

Midoriya looked away and didn't say anything. It wasn't like running away would help, but the urge was there, as silly as it would be.

"So what's eating you? Addressing Tenya-kun's concern for you or all the attention the first years are giving you?"

After a sigh, Izuku responded, "Both. I need to verify some things with Aizawa-sensei before I talk about that with him and everyone else in 2A. With the first years, being inspired by what I did just drove home what I needed to do. To prevent the wrong message from being taken." He looked back to his friend. "Do you know what Tenya-kun wants me to talk about?"

Ochako shook her head. "Not really. All I know is he had talked to Tooru-chan some time ago and something she said made him greatly concerned about you. This is the first I heard that you are going to address the entire class. All I know is that it concerns your future as a hero, and it's really worrying him."

Izuku placed a hand on the right side of his face. "He's not wrong to be concerned. Could you tell him that I need a little more time? I know I asked him to wait until we got back to school, but I only just came up with an idea in my head. And before I go full steam ahead with it, I need to learn just a bit more from our homeroom teacher."

"He's not going to like it, but I'll try to use my girlish charm to make him understand." Uraraka gave a toothy grin and thumbs up.

"Thanks a lot, Ochako-chan. You're a lifesaver."

Ochako gave a playful jab. "You owe me though."

"I do? Uh, like what?"

"I'm just joking, but promise me you won't delay long."

Izuku extended an arm. "I promise I'll get this figured out by next week."

Uraraka was quick to grab and shake the boy's hand. "Deal!"

After the two parted their hands, Midoriya asked, "Hey, this morning I saw you carrying quite a lot more debris than I thought you could handle. Did you make a breakthrough with your upper limit recently?"

"Oh, that." Ochako rubbed the back of her head as she stated, "I never told you about this last month cause it would have involved talking about Himiko-chan." She then reached down and held a rock twice the size of her fist in one hand and tossed it to her friend. "Catch." After he caught it, she walked over and said, "It would be easier to just show you. Now present the rock to me."

Izuku raised an eyebrow but did as told. The girl put one hand on the rock, causing the boy to ascend into the air. As he flailed in awe at what was happening, he asked, "Wait, it works now without direct contact now?"

Uraraka nodded. "Anything that touches the object I touch, yup. Minus like the floor or anything massive in size."

Midoriya was impressed, but the growing distance between him and the ground started to make him panic. She didn't know he lacked Black Whip to get himself back down. However, his fear quickly subsided once he noticed his ascent halted and that he was slowly returning to the ground. Izuku looked at his friend but noticed her hands were not together like they usually were when she returned gravity to normal.

Ochako excitedly explained, "I can cancel it out now on a whim, though whatever it is returns to the ground slowly unless I release it like usual."

"Definitely useful if you don't want to hurt or damage whatever you activate your quirk on. Impressive." Once back on the ground, Midoriya asked, "So, was this an awakening?"

Uraraka shrugged, "Is that what it's called? Never heard that term before."

"It is quite rare, so I understand if you didn't." Izuku had heard others in his class had received such changes as well. Katsuki, Koji, Mina, and Yuga all described fundamental changes to their quirks. The boy cleared his throat, "You wouldn't mind if I asked you other questions about it, would you? For my notebook, of course."

Ochako chuckled. "Anytime Izuku-kun."

A few soft knocks echoed throughout the hallway.

A girl's muffled voice came through the door. "You can come in."

Izuku opened the door to see that the room was dark, with only the light of the moon providing visibility. Tooru was sitting on the floor, leaning back on her large bear plushie which was on the back wall. The same one she purchased for her last birthday. Due to the lack of light, he couldn't make out what color her shorts, tank top, or snap bracelets were.

"Why are the lights off?"

"Why are you still in your class uniform?"

Midoriya looked down at his attire. I forgot to change before coming over, he grumbled to himself. He was very much looking forward to hanging out and came straight to her room once he got to the dorm. "Sorry, I tried meeting Aizawa-sensei after dinner at the teacher's office. I figured it would be best to show up in the school uniform rather than casual clothing."

"And you couldn't change before coming here?"

Izuku sighed awkwardly. "I was e-excited to come here tonight."

"I'm glad you are, though I wonder why. Mind telling me?" Those last two sentences had Tooru speak in a fake, clueless tone.

Midoriya knew why she acted like this but decided to be straight with her. "We haven't had a chance to be i-intimate since the night before we moved to Tartarus."

"That was really unlike you accepting my offer then." Hagakure then scooted slightly to her left side and patted the open space going by the movement of her snap bracelets.

As Izuku walked over, he said, "I explained my reasoning well enough back then." He then sat down and leaned back into the plushie.

"Then why the hesitation here?" Tooru leaned against his shoulder and placed her left hand on the boy's chest.

"The mood here feels different."

Hagakure started to drag her finger back and forth between her boyfriend's pecs as she stated, "I did want to invoke something similar to your White Day 'present' for me. Though not as extreme as total darkness. Showing a little does much more than the total unknown."

Midoriya could see what his girlfriend meant. The slight tease was having quite an effect on him. However, he wasn't prepared for what came next. She got up on her knees and then shifted onto his lap quickly.

"I want to try something."

Izuku gulped. "U-Uh okay."

"Of course, you can say no if you're not into it."

"R-Right. So what do you have in mind?"

"I want to take off your shirt."

Puzzled at this request, Midoriya asked more confidently, "You've seen me without it, though?" He recalled their nightly visit even as far back as the summer trip last year as probably the first time.

"True. However, I want to take it off." Hagakure then leaned closer. "And make out afterward."

Well, of course, it wouldn't be just that simple, Izuku mused. However, after playing the scenario in his head a few times, it didn't seem too bad. Tooru had seen him shirtless a few times. They had made out many more times, bumps and all. Midoriya was just hesitant about one thing.

Escalation.

This could quickly spiral out of control, he felt. It had been about a month since we had been able to comfort each other physically. And even longer without the looming doom in the background of their lives. They could let loose for once. Izuku then told himself I must stay in control and make it clear if Tooru goes too far. He kept repeating those words in his head a few times as he stared at the outline of his girlfriend in the moonlight. Oh, this was gonna be difficult.

Hagakure asked in a worried tone, "Too much?"

"No, no. Just need a moment to process it all." Midoriya then took a deep breath. "I'm r-ready."

"That doesn't sound ready."

"It's the best I can do considering the situation."

Hagakure shrugged. "Fair enough." Her snap bracelets closed in on her boyfriend, but she stopped just short of him. "You know, we don't need these." The snap bracelets were then dropped on the floor. "Now that's better."

There was a pause, and Izuku dreaded it. Now, with his clue into the orientation of her arms removed, he was clueless about where she would start. But he soon felt a tug on his tie.

As Tooru removed the article of clothing, she said, "I could also blindfold you with this." However, fiddling with it for moment, she tossed it aside. "Well, that would go against doing this as we are. Maybe another time."

Before Midoriya could process the concept, both buttons on his gray blazer had been undone. As Hagakure parted the front, he pulled his arms out of his sleeves. Now, all that remained was the white button-up shirt. And yet again, there is another gap in any activity. Eventually, Izuku asked, "Everything okay?"

"O-Of course I am. I'm just stalling for the tension." Tooru abruptly untucked his shirt from his pants and started to unbutton the shirt from the top.

Midoriya noticed that moment of hesitation in her voice. Was she getting flustered? But why? Hagakure only seemed to get flustered when it came to her being visible. She had also undressed him before, entirely that time, just a little over a month ago. Wait. Was she composed as she said she was when that happened? Or not? It's not like he was conscious during it to know. However, before he could think about this further, the boy noticed that he was now shirtless.

Silence once again. This time, Izuku couldn't ignore it. "Tooru, is this too much for you?"

No response. Instead, two cold hands on his abdomen were his answer. It nearly made Izuku jump.

Hagakure began by feeling his abs. Poking and prodding, as well as hand motions. Thankfully, her hands warmed up as time went on. As she traveled northward, she started to lean her body closer and closer until her chest met his. From there, Tooru just embraced Izuku's torso. "Sorry if I am being so greedy."

"G-Greedy!?" This differed from the term Midoriya thought of when describing what was happening. Instead of dwelling on her words, he decided to embrace her back.

Soon, Hagakure backed off and raised her head to his. "You ready?"

"Can't say it won't be awkward to make out on top of one of your plushies."

Tooru responded with sass, "I've had to endure it while all your figures of Yagi-sensei are staring at us. You can manage here."

Huh, I never thought about it like that, Izuku thought. This odd revelation was cut off when her lips met his. What followed was the most intense make-out session he had ever experienced. Hagakure's hands went on the offensive. His cheeks, chest, and butt were not safe from her. Midoriya did all he could to keep his hands on her back and head as tempting as it was to return the favor. Just as the boy was starting to feel a sweat coming on, his girlfriend lapsed on her assault and slid off of him.

Both laid back and breathed heavily in silence for a while.

Tooru was the first to speak. "See, I can handle it."

"You paused a few times there, though."

She quickly argued, "I was just taking in what I was seeing. It's hard to see in this dim light."

Izuku brought up a hand to Tooru's shoulder. "Did you have a similar reaction when you undressed me back in that apartment?"

Hagakure crossed her arms and grunted. "That was different."

So something did happen then, Midoriya mused. "Tooru, if you saw something last time, as I stated before, it's okay considering the state I was in. Don't feel ashamed."

"I didn't see your bum or junk. If that is what you mean. I was discreet." Tooru then sighed. "But I was flustered about it. It surprised me back then, and it happened again as I undressed you. Happy?"

Izuku sat up onto his knees. "I'm not making it a gotcha moment. I'm just concerned if you push yourself too much to try and please me." Funny how, back in their second term, she was concerned about the same thing for him. It was only natural to be mutual about it, he thought.

Tooru reached over to grab her boyfriend's hand. "It made me a little uncomfortable, but it's less about me getting out of my comfort zone and more about me not understanding why I am getting so worked up about it."

"Oh." Midoriya leaned back into the plushie while continuing to hold Hagakure's hand. "Well, it seems like just a normal reaction then."

"Should it? I'm the one who used to prance around naked."

You still do sometimes, Izuku wanted to say.

"I'm the one who's usually trying to push the envelope in our relationship, and then I decide to do something as simple as take your shirt off, and I freeze up. It's why I didn't try anything further, even though I thought about it. I feel like I come off as a hypocrite."

So that was a possibility, Izuku mentally noted. He then considered her point of view for some time before coming up with something. "Being invisible and not having to care what others see may have given you a false sense of being okay with nudity. But now we've had glimpses of your true self, and you had a taste of my, uh b-body. Both are embarrassing, as they should be. And that's normal, not hypocritical." Midoriya then turned to face his girlfriend and placed both hands on hers. "And I'm grateful you feel that way. I don't think I am ready yet to handle you escalating from what we just did."

"You would just need to say to stop, and I would have."

"I know. I handled it well enough, though, I think." Izuku then took a hand away to rub his backside. "Though I got to admit you were going after my butt back there more than I thought you would. I figured you would go to my exposed chest more."

"You have a nice bum, sue me."

Midoriya didn't want to go into what made his butt 'nice' right at this moment, but it did intrigue him why.

"Besides, your hands went into the back of my shirt a few times, so don't try to act like you were innocent."

"I did?!" Izuku didn't recall that at all. Did he get lost in the passion there for those few minutes? "I didn't go too far, did I?"

"Nah. However, I thought you were trying to reach for my bra."

"I didn't though, right?"

"Nope."

Midoriya sighed in relief, but talking about her bra brought a few memories to mind. And now he felt a bit guilty. "You know, I have to confess something."

Hagakure leaned to the side a bit. "Uh, okay. What is it?"

"It's about your neck hole."

Tooru deadpan asked, "What about it?"

"It, uh, exposes your b-bra sometimes at certain angles."

Hagakure's body moved back and forth a bit upon hearing this. Midoriya wondered if she was inspecting it with her arms at the moment.

"I mean, I know about that, but it just meant I needed to be careful of where I was when kneeling forward. I can't see it being a problem unless you were right up in my business and-." She paused. "Wait, so you've been peeking at my bra every time we kiss?"

Izuku waved his hands back and forth as he responded, "N-No, N-No! It's something I actively try to avoid. I found this out very early on."

"Define very early on."

"Like when you kissed me goodbye on your first visit to my house after we became a couple."

"Oh man, that is far back." Tooru rocked back and forth a few times before asking, "You do often close your eyes when we make out. I thought you did it because it helped you with your nerves, but you say it was because you didn't want to come off as a pervert?"

Izuku sighed and nodded.

Hagakure shrugged. "When you think about it, it's not too bad; you would only see my bra straps. The cups are what a boy would want to see, no? You really couldn't see those unless you were behind me kissing my neck."

"R-Right, but I still felt bad about it." Midoriya didn't like the direction these hypotheticals were going. Still, his curiosity had been triggered by all this talk. "H-How would you have felt if I did take off your b-bra earlier?"

Hagakure took a moment to answer. "I don't know. Like I said before, I was willing to go a bit further, like take off my shirt, but I didn't consider going braless. Had you tried to remove it, I probably would have kept my shirt on."

Izuku recalled them sharing the bed while she wore his shirt but with no bra underneath. It was a distraction but something they had done before. However, not while making out. Still the prospect of his girlfriend being somewhat okay with him removing a piece of her underwear was sending him at the moment.

"Though I would be impressed if you could take it off so easily. It's not exactly straightforward, especially for a first timer, in the dark, under my shirt, from the front." Tooru eventually gave a soft chuckle.

Midoriya joined in the laughter.

Once finished, Hagakure stood up. "Well, I am emotionally spent after that."

Izuku grabbed his button-up shirt and began putting it on while saying, "I still want to talk. It's the main reason I wanted to come here until you offered some intimacy."

"I know, but it's just the first day of school. Let's save it for later. I'm pooped."

The boy put on his blazer, and a thought occurred to him. "Earlier, I got a good feel for your hair. It's quite long. You want me to cut it?" By now, his girlfriend had put her snap bracelets back on and saw them rise towards her head.

"You know, that would be nice. It is starting to be a bit cramped in my helmet. We can talk more then. Does Sunday after dinner sound good?"

"Perfect!"

Aizawa took a sip from his juice box before looking back at his student. "This must be pretty serious if you requested we do this in the meeting room."

Midoriya nodded and then gave a slight bow. "And thanks again for meeting me with such short notice, considering how I barraged into the teacher's office yesterday."

"Heh. Well, it worked last time in December when you came with Hagakure-san, so I don't blame you for trying." Eraserhead then brought up a juice box from under the knee-high desk that separated the two and placed them on the furniture. "It's grape if you're interested."

"Thank you, sensei!" Izuku gladly took it, removed the sippy straw, and inserted it into the box.

As his student took a big sip, Shota asked, "Are you requesting a therapist?"

The question startled the boy. He swallowed and coughed a bit before placing his drink down. "So you did approve one for Ochako-chan?"

The teacher raised an eyebrow but responded, "No, that was Present Mic."

Midoriya didn't even consider their English teacher to be the one to request it. Why him?

Noticing his student's confusion, Aizawa stated. "Let me add some context. Back during your entrance exam, Uraraka-san tried to meet with the judges to ask to transfer her points to you so you could pass. She was stopped by Present Mic, letting her know it wasn't needed as you passed on rescue points alone. The gesture, however, did make an impact on him. So much so that he cheered her on to win during the Hero Festival when she was up against Bakugo-san during the tournament section."

Izuku was floored to hear that about Ochako. The fact that she tried to do that after barely knowing one another touched him greatly. He vaguely recalled Present Mic as the announcer for the matches during the Hero Festival, though he didn't remember what was just said that was in his friend's favor. Maybe this was off-the-mike banter between the teachers during the match.

"The last thing was your return to U.A. at the start of May. If you recall, Present Mic struggled to convince the crowd of civilians to let you through. He felt quite proud after Uraraka-san took his megaphone and won them over with her speech. However, Present Mic could tell she was hurting then, and after learning what happened with her battle with Toga, he grew even more concerned. He met with Ida-san while she was still in the hospital, and that all but cemented his desire to try to help. Present Mic met with me over the break and wanted my permission since she was my student. I approved of him sending the request immediately, of course." Aizawa then finished his juice box and tossed it into the trash can in the corner of the room. Flawlessly making it in. "Anyways, are you requesting one yourself, now that you learned she is getting help?"

Midoriya gave another bow before saying, "No, sir, but I thank you for telling me about Ochako-chan's situation regardless. I'll also be sure to thank Yamada-sensei the next chance I get." As much as the recent events had troubled the boy, he felt that through self-reflection and the support of his friends and classmates, he could get through this.

"Hmm, well, with that out of the way, what is that you-." Suddenly, Eraserhead grunted as he put both hands on his right thigh.

Izuku got up and yelled, "Sensei?!"

However, before the student could come over, Shota held up his left hand. Through gritted teeth, he explained, "It's just a phantom pain. It comes and goes sometimes. It's quite painful this time. Give it a minute."

Midoriya sat down and watched his teacher massage his thigh for a bit.

"Thankfully, it usually goes away after doing this. If not, then an ice pack does the trick. I hear worse cases have to try electrical stimulation or medication. There are no guarantees those will work, though. Either way, I am hoping to avoid those options if possible." Aizawa then stopped and took a deep breath. "That's better."

The ordeal troubled the teen. He had heard of the phenomenon, but seeing it happen to his homeroom teacher spooked him. However, there was a ray of hope. He asked, "How much longer until Eri-chan can restore your leg and eye?"

Shota placed a hand on his eye patch. "Quite some time. However, I only want this eye restored. The leg stays as a reminder of my failures. Besides, I need her to heal someone else first. I don't mind waiting." Before Izuku could ask who he meant, the teacher asked, "Now, explain why you are here."

Midoriya figured he couldn't stall any longer with his other questions. "Sir, how did you become a teacher here?"

Aizawa closed his left eye and then laid his head back. After a long sigh, he answered, "Well, that was Midnight's fault."

"Huh?"

Eraserhead returned his head back before explaining, "Midnight sent a recommendation to Principal Nezu without my knowledge about six years ago, which I initially rejected. About a year later, I eventually conceded to the offer. Apparently, my methods intrigued them both enough to hire me."

Being bluntly honest or harsh in reflecting on the natural world has its perks, it seems, Izuku mused. Most other teachers were much softer in their approach than Aizawa's style, besides perhaps Hound Dog, which made it more unique. He recalled the tale of the third-year student Fuwa, explaining how he had failed the entire class to let them experience "death" to strive for growth before being let back into the program. Anyway, the key part to take away from this is. The recommendation.

Shota, however, asked first, "Are you interested in becoming a teacher because of your situation involving One For All?"

So he knows, Izuku mused. It made sense that All Might would have told his homeroom teacher, "Yes, sir. A homeroom teacher here at U.A. like you, if possible."

"Would you want me to recommend you?"

"Once I graduate, yes."

Aizawa raised an eyebrow. "Why not just ask our principal to hire you as the favor he owes you from that discussion you had back at the start of May? You wouldn't need anything from us pro heroes if you went straight to him."

So he knows about that too. Nezu did say he wanted to point out the humor of the teacher's misunderstanding of his joke, so it was bound to come up too, Midoriya pondered. He then took a deep breath. "I want to do this the right way. With my own merit. I want to be a teacher because I earned it."

Eraserhead smirked. "That's the right answer. Your mentor got in here on that alone and it shows. As good as his intentions were. Thankfully the guidance of me and the rest of the staff can work miracles." His face then turned into a serious gaze. "However, I won't give you a recommendation."

Heh, of course, he would immediately reject me for that, Midoriya sighed internally. "Well, you did say I couldn't be a hero way back when. I guess you were right in the end."

Aizawa leaned forward and clasped his hands together before resting his chin on them. "I did. I was not a fan of your self-sacrifice way of doing things. Nor your mentor's. But you changed and proved me wrong on that front. Very wrong. Both you and All Might." Both his index fingers then pointed at his student. "My answer was under the context as if you graduated from U.A. and acquired your pro hero license then, immediately applied here. At that point, I would reject such a thing. Which is what I am guessing is your plan. You need experience, something you can't do without being a pro, which might be impossible because your quirk's embers are fading. I had been a pro for seven years before I got offered the job"

Midoriya hung his head. Of course, it was a stupid idea after all.

Eraserhead put his hands down and stood up. "So instead, if you want my blessing, I suggest two things to add to your education going forward."

The boy's head shot up, and he quickly scrambled for one of his notebooks from his backpack.

The teacher gave his student a moment so he could get ready before saying, "First, go to college and get a degree that you can teach here. It's rare for a pro hero to be strictly a homeroom teacher. I am a special case. Most focus on a subject to teach outside hero training and then either assist in various classes of hero training or homeroom teach a class. I can't guarantee you'll get the job at this school, but at the very least, it will put you in good standing in applying for other schools. Even quirkless, as you would eventually be."

As Izuku wrote in his notebook, he recalled that Cementoss was the homeroom teacher for the new 1A class but also taught modern literature for his own class. This could work. But what subject to choose?

"Second, you need to figure out a way to get some hands-on pro hero experience. Your internships gave you a taste, but that won't be enough. Remember, we are trying to teach the next generation, and it will be hard if you only have bits and pieces of that experience. Your three years here won't cover that, even as fantastical and bizarre as your first one was." Aizawa noticed that his student was writing at breakneck speed in his notebook even after he finished talking. He could only smirk at the scene. Looks like that won't be a problem, the teacher thought to himself.

Midoriya awoke slowly to a noise. Upon straining his ears once up, he could confirm he was hearing that right. Knocks at his door, but at this hour? It was still dark outside, but he felt the sun should be poking out soon. He checked his phone. Around 5 am? That looks about right. The boy reluctantly got up and answered his door. The scene before him, though, woke him up quickly.

It was Aoyama in a wheelchair, with Mineta behind him. Both were still in their school uniforms and looked quite exhausted. The latter asked, "Hey, Izuku-kun, would you mind letting us in? It's important."

Izuku nodded and opened his door further to make room for Yuga to be wheeled in. He then went over to his desk to turn on the night light. Minoru brought the wheelchair to the desk. The host checked over his guests but noticed no injuries between either of them.

Aoyama then haggardly asked, "Minoru-kun, could you get me something to drink? Something that will give me energy? I have a flight in a few hours. You should get you something, too."

Mineta looked like he wanted to argue, but once he heard the idea of getting something for himself, he warmed up to it. "I've got something in my mini-fridge. I'll be right back!"

With just the two of them there, Midoriya asked, "You're not hurt, are you!?"

Yuga explained, "I'm just exhausted. But it was worth it." He then reached into his pocket and produced a vial the length of his hand. At the top and bottom were black metal caps, and to the side, a visible battery with wires connected to the bottom cap. The vial itself radiated a faint blue light with white sparkles that danced slowly back and forth.

"Are those lasers from your quirk?" Izuku recognized that color pattern coincided with his classmate's lasers.

"Contained yes. A low-powered version, the kind I used back on Wednesday while in the homeroom."

Midoriya recalled his friend using small spurts of his lasers, like bubbles, to try to cheer up his classmates despite his announced departure. The lasers themselves were a brighter and more controlled version of the same technique he used all the way back during their musical performance at the cultural festival. He then asked, "But why?"

"As an apology." Aoyama gave a weak bow. "Je suis navré. It was bad enough that I caught a glimpse of Tooru-chan's face the day my betrayal was discovered. But when we confronted All For One, I saw it once more in its entirety. Something you should have experienced, not me."

"Wait, what do you mean? It happened again!?" Hagakure had not mentioned any of this to him.

Before Yuga could continue, Minrou let himself in, holding a bottle in both hands. Once he got closer, Izuku could see more details. The bottles were made of glass, amber in color. The label was white, with black text and a large red V in the center.

Mineta removed the bottle cap on one of them before giving Aoyama a bottle. The latter looked at it suspiciously.

"It's Alinamin V. It tastes like grape, so don't worry; it's not terrible tasting like most popular energy drinks," Minoru started trying to reassure his classmate.

After a sip, Yuga nodded before turning back to Izuku. "Tooru-chan at least told you about how we defeated the plant villain, yes?"

Midoriya sat on his bed before answering. "She deflected back your lasers to catch him by surprise, yeah. What about it?"

"Those lasers I shot were different and stronger than anything I had ever produced. They glitched out Tooru-chan's quirk for some time. My quirk must have been on the cusp of that power the week before, only the brief glitch when both saw her." Aoyama then took a big gulp of his energy drink.

That must be when his quirk awakened, Izuku thought. "You could see her entire face that time? And for how long?"

"Her silhouette sometimes was erratic, but for the most part, yes. She had lost her helmet earlier, so I could easily see her face. Tooru-chan was also visible for quite some time. She only faded just after the final battle was all over."

Izuku took a moment to try to process this. He could understand why Tooru didn't reveal herself during the final push; there were more important things to be done. However, why stay quiet about what happened after the fact? No one else saw her, or considering she had put her helmet back on, no one had noticed, he figured. Was Hagakure still so embarrassed about her actual appearance? Or was it something else?

Mineta then spoke up. "It happened a third time, briefly, in Wednesday's homeroom class. When Yuga-kun shot those laser bubbles, I saw Tooru-chan's face as I was standing by her. I was so flabbergasted, but it was gone as quickly as it came. It seems no one else saw it since their attention was on Yuga-kun and Shinso-san at the time." He then set his half finished drink on the desk and walked over to the bed before kneeling and bowing his head. "I can confirm your girlfriend looks like a goddess. To think she was hiding a face like hers the whole time." He then got up and gave a thumbs up, "You're a lucky man, Izuku-kun."

Izuku knew his friend meant well, but it still sounded weird. Besides, he liked her long before this became a factor. Either way, let's go back to why they were here. "So that vial is for Tooru-chan?"

"For you to give to her. Tooru-chan's birthday is quite soon, so it felt right that you should be the one to give it to her."

"But how did you even make this?"

"I didn't, your friend Hatsume-san did."

Before Midoriya could explain how and why, Mineta stated, "After class on Wednesday, I met up with Yuga-kun to explain what I saw. He then told me everything about her previous glitched appearances. I thought maybe we could figure out a way to make her visible for a short time for others to see. So I suggested we go to the Support Department and try to get something going before Yuga-kun's departure later today."

With great effort, Aoyama explained. "We spoke to Power Loader, who pointed us towards his student who was acquainted with you. Hatsume-san was more than happy to help. However, it took many, many hours of work to figure out a solution. I wasn't attending classes, so I had the time, but after days of this, I am quite drained." Aoyama finished his drink before continuing. "At first, we tried my normal lasers, but they were too powerful to work with. We kept lowering the power until we arrived at my laser bubbles. From there, it was a lot of trial and error to figure out how to collect, contain, concentrate, and then power my lasers in an isolated place like this vial to be used later. Hatsume-san still had hair samples left over from her suit upgrade last term so we used those to test on without needing Tooru-chan to be physically there."

Minrou proudly stated, "And I helped too!"

Yuga nodded, "After school these last few days, Minrou-kun came over to help in any way he could. Mostly to address my intestinal concerns from overusing Navel Laser. This final night I pushed my limits to get this done. As much as I appreciated the going away party yesterday, it cut into the time that could have been spent making this happen. By the end, I was in such bad shape, I struggled to walk, hence my current predicament. Though I should be okay by the time of my flight." He then took a deep breath and held out the vial. "This is my final cadeau, my gift to you, Izuku-kun. This, of course, doesn't make up for everything that happened, but it's a start. When I return, we can work on finding a more permanent solution if you both wish. You two deserve a happy ending."

Izuku sat up and took the vial, unsure of what to say.

Mineta stated, "The vial should stay powered for weeks. That's plenty of time before Tooru-chan's birthday. Simply remove the top cap near her, and she should stay visible for about five minutes."

Trying not to overthink what he held in his hand at the moment, Midoriya looked at his two guests and stated, "Thanks so much, you two. I'll be sure to show it to Tooru-chan on her birthday. I can't wait to see her reaction." He then thought, This is going to make his girlfriend's visit to his room later today quite awkward.

Tooru asked, "So, what do you want to discuss first?"

"Uh, give me a minute; I'm trying to figure out where to start." Izuku was currently feeling his way around his girlfriend's hair. It was Sunday evening and the pair were in the center of his room, with a tarp on the floor and her sitting on a stool. He hadn't cut it before at this length, so he needed to get a general feeling of what he was working with. As much as he got a 'preview' during their make-out session a few days ago, that still wasn't enough to go by anything. "Well, first, do you want your hair back to the length it was as before, or do you want a quick trim to keep it longer?"

"Hmm, well, it's not like we've made any progress with my quirk since then, and Yuga-kun left this morning. So the original length is good."

But there has been progress. Progress you didn't tell me, Midoriya mused. He then looked over to his desk, where the vial was in one of the cabinets. However, as badly as he wanted to show it, there was a better time to reveal it. There was also still a lot to think about regarding it. Izuku reached for the razor before asking, "Well, want to start with your talk with Ochako-chan?"

"That works. I met with her Wednesday night, and we decided to discuss it over a bath. It was heavy for both of us, but I felt like it helped.

"Did she mention the therapy?"

"Yeah. Present Mic-sensei met with her before dinner that day to give her the news. She sounded hopeful, and her first session is tomorrow."

Midoriya stopped cutting to say, "Thanks for directing her my way on Thursday."

"I figured you were hiding." Hagakure then giggled as she stated, "The first years spooked you good. Including Katsuki-kun, and Shoto-kun."

Izuku returned to his work before saying, "Well, Shoto-kun isn't used to THAT much attention, and Katsuki-kun has his limits too, especially since a lot of them were girls."

"Heh. Even he has a weakness for girls."

"Well, they usually avoided him in our previous school, so he only has a little experience with them. I doubt he is actually intimidated by them. At least in the way you are suggesting."

"Okay, but what about you?"

The thought of Stain flashed into Midoriya's head again. "Oh, um, you know. They wanted my phone number and selfies with me. It was too personal, too quick, and all. Plus, I already have you. I don't need such attention from younger girls."

"Hmm, understandable for you. Though, it does make me wonder what it would be like to have a bunch of boys do the same for me if we weren't dating."

"Hey now, don't even joke about that," Izuku chuckled.

"I know, but it's nice to think about waves of people adoring you. Hard when you actively remain hidden."

Right, Izuku mused. The sudden mood turn made him think about Ochako's situation again. "Do you think therapy would help you?"

"Being depressed about my quirk? I've had plenty of time to figure that out, with your help, of course, as of late."

"I meant more about your run-in with Toga-san." Midoriya didn't want to mention the death of the Nomu directly.

"Oh, that." There was a moment of silence. "Well, talking with Ochako-chan again helped with that, and just time passing has also." Izuku saw the barber bib move aside and suddenly felt a hand on his unoccupied hand. "I would tell you if I was suffering that bad. I'm not against seeking professional help, but I don't think my issues now are so horrible I require it. Thanks for thinking about my mental state, though. It means a lot."

Izuku appreciated it but still felt there was more to this, again considering her not telling him about her quirk glitching out more times. "No problem."

"But speaking of people adoring you, Ochako-chan told me about Toga-san confessing to you that day."

"Yeah, that was out of nowhere." Midoriya rejected her, but the fact the girl asked, knowing his involvement with Hagakure, still baffled him. "It was genuine, though; for some reason, her attacking me wasn't triggering my Danger Sense quirk. I surmised it detects ill content, and since she attacked me through 'affection,' I wasn't able to pick it up."

Tooru sighed. "She was a piece of work, all right. It's a shame we couldn't have done more for her, but I doubt she would have wanted to be jailed for such rehabilitation to occur, going by what Ochako-chan told me. In the end, she died her way, I guess, as twisted as that ended up being." She then cleared her throat. "Okay, enough being a downer, let's move on to something less depressing. You seemed happy about that visit to the prison to talk with Spinner. So I guess it went well?"

Izuku favored the change and explained, "You could say so. It was definitely tense, but I got what I wanted to say through. I might have even inspired him to change how he wanted to not let his leader's legacy die." Hawks had made true with his promise and was able to set up a meeting with the incarcerated villain early in the morning just days ago. Hagakure was asked about it but Midoriya said he would discuss it in length later as he had much more on his mind at the time.

"Changed?"

"He wanted to write a book, I suggested he do it as a comic. I think it would turn more heads that way. Either way, I'm hoping I can visit him again to check up on his progress."

Tooru chuckled. "Heh, letting your own bias slip through there, but yeah, even I would more likely read that than some boring autobiography." After calming down she asked, "And what about your promise to Overhaul?"

"I wasn't there for that, but Tsukauchi-san watched over it and told me what happened. Overhaul's boss called him out on his failures and wanted to make sure he never forgot what he did to Eri-chan."

"Serves him right. At least that boss of his has some sense. Speaking of Eri-chan, what did you think of Yuga-kun's going away party? She really went wild there!"

Izuku smiled softly. "I didn't expect a performance, least of all by Eri-chan."

"Who knew she had such a voice! She mentioned being inspired by our performance at the cultural festival, but I was surprised to find out she would go so far. Kyoka-chan and her must have put in a lot of work in the last few days to get that ready in time."

It was small compared to what they did before, just Jiro on the guitar with Eri singing, but Aoyama was still impressed and appreciated it. Even being moved, a few shed tears. There were gifts and food given, of course. Even Aizawa stayed beyond bringing Eri over. Looking back, it impressed Midoriya that Aoyama turned around from the party to go back to work on the vial by pulling an all-nighter. It also made him concerned about whether Hatsume was doing all right. Well, he could check up on her on Tuesday to find out.

"Think Eri-chan is serious about a music career?"

"Hard to tell, considering she's so young; it might be a phase, but she seemed sure of herself." After the party, the couple spoke with the young girl about her performance, and she stated her intent when she got older.

"She mentioned being inspired by our performance at the cultural festival last year, but I didn't know it had gone this far."

"Well, if she goes through with it, we support it 100%. There are other ways to help people than be a hero."

"Hmm."

Izuku continued his work in silence for a few minutes. Just before finishing, though, Tooru spoke up. "Do you ever plan to tell the others about your quirk's current state?"

"Next week."

"Oh, uh, that quickly?"

"I've just needed some time to think of a plan. My visit with Aizawa-sensei yesterday was a part of that."

"Going all out with this, huh? That's just like you."

Izuku finished his haircut and blow-dried her hair and bib before taking the latter off.

Tooru jumped off the chair, her black snap bracelets moving around her head, probably to feel her hair. She was currently wearing a red blouse and black skirt. Once she brought down her arms again, she asked, "Does Toshinori-sensei know about this plan of yours?"

As Midoriya started cleaning up everything, he explained, "No. I only saw him briefly the morning I visited Spinner. He did want to talk about his interview with me but I said we could discuss it later, I just wanted him to rest. All Might-sensei can find out whenever he returns for good."

"You're not mad at him because of that whole thing on T.V. back on Monday, are you?"

Izuku paused for a moment to think of his answer. "No. If anything, I am grateful. More people know the specifics of what happened in Japan and set things straight about what One For All is. It saves me a lot of questions from the press, which I am sure would be dying to want to talk to me. He also didn't reveal my quirk waning in power. I can explain that part on my terms, which I should."

Tooru walked on over and stood behind her boyfriend as he put stuff into his bag. "It might have given you more attention, though. You saw those first years. Who knows what the general public might be like."

Without turning around, Midoriya responded, "True, but if that's what I have to deal with, considering the positives, then I can deal with it. Besides, so far, we have had pro heroes with us. They seem to be ensuring we only interact with those we are directly helping. The press and passing civilians haven't bothered at all so far." He then slowly felt his girlfriend embrace him from behind.

"If it really bothers you that much, you will tell me, right? Don't hide whatever is eating away at you, okay?"

"I know, this whole plan is so that I don't feel the negative parts of all this attention."

"Can I get a preview of what that is? I can't fathom what your solution is here."

Izuku zipped up his bag and parted with Tooru, only to turn around and return the embrace. "I still have some things to figure out. I want to present to you and everyone once I am absolutely positive about what I want to do."

Tooru just let out a long sigh. She lightly dug a finger into his side and pushed it back and forth before saying, "Okay then. I guess I only have a few days to wait anyway."

"Thanks for being patient."

The two continued their hug for about a minute in silence before separating. Midoriya then asked, "Well now, since it's almost a week away, can we talk about your birthday?"

"Yup, I don't mind. Though I don't think we can really do anything too crazy considering what this week has been like."

Izuku couldn't argue with that. So far, they seemed like they were on a two-day schedule; for every day of school they were having, they would also do a day entirely of reconstruction duty. Based on what Fuwa said in the homeroom yesterday, this will continue for the next few weeks. As tiring as hero training was, it was less often than this was. It reminded him of the many weeks of dance training for the cultural festival. So far, they could take it, but how would they feel after another week?

"Well, do you want to hear my plan regardless?"

"Mind if I am the one in charge of this one? Like on my 16th birthday?" Before Midoriya could ponder the prospect, Hagakure quickly closed the distance and leaned in to say in a low voice, "I'll give you something special for your birthday if you let me."

Izuku gulped. "Special?"

Tooru leaned back and took a step back. "Yup. I wanted to do it earlier this year but didn't for reasons. I feel much more confident about it now, though. So what do you say, Izuku?"

Midoriya wondered what it could possibly be, considering what they just did three days ago in her room. The offer piqued his curiosity as it also meant one less thing he had to worry about for next week. He could always shelf his idea for another time anyhow. "It couldn't hurt to let you be charged for both of our birthdays like you did last year."

Izuku then watched as Tooru leapt at him and quickly pecked him on the cheek. She kept both her hands on his shoulders as she stated, "Thanks so much! You won't regret it." Hagakure then let go and took a stride towards the door. As she opened it, she said, "Now I need a bath to rid all these loose strands." She stepped out, but before closing the door behind her, she said, "And no thinking about me bathing."

The door shut before Midoriya had any time to respond. Ugh, did she say that so I WOULD think about it? He then went into a deep bluish. She really knew how to play him. Trying to keep his thoughts pure, Izuku went to his desk and pulled out the vial meant for his girlfriend's birthday. I should consider my options with this to keep myself busy for now. There is a right way to use this; I must think it over. It's about what's best for Tooru!

Okay, a quick turnaround, I feel back in my groove.

First off, some commission stuff. I started a BlueSky account (crazy-man185) and transferred all my commissions over the years to it this last weekend. My Twitter account was deleted on the night of the Nov. 14th as on the 15th you cannot opt out of their AI program scanning all your content. On that principle alone I left but there are other reasons as well (that I don't need to go into here). So, if you want to keep up with my commissioned art, check it out! I'll also be posting my pets and animals from work there so a bonus for those that care about that. My MashMomo piece with DailyKrumbs only needs to be colored, so keep an eye out for it soon. I have commissioned hazel0217 once more, this time for a KodaJiro piece. Though I am 16th in line, it will be some time until that sees the light of day. Something to eventually look forward to, though!

In the first scene, we get introduced to Shinso. I can't ignore him because he is a part of the class now. His cats are references to the two black cats I had growing up in my teenage years. Blackjack ran away because of an open window and became a stray cat (as we saw him outside even months later), but Oreo lived for quite some time and only just passed away two years ago. Shinso provides our first look at how the rest of the school views class 1A, well, 2A now, which will be built upon later.

The second scene gets us up to speed with Ochako and further drives home how much the first year's presence unnerved Izuku, which in the manga was just like three panels. To me, as much as Tenya would talk with his girlfriend and everyone else's support, it would still be quite rough for her. Hence, the therapy. It will also impact how she moves forward, given what we know she does as a pro hero. This is just giving us more set-up for it.

And now the spicy one! Again, I play this romance as a slow one, but it's been a bit, so let's advance it. However brief it was in the text, the set-up and reaction afterward was the meat of the scene anyhow. It's hard to ignore that Tooru is so flustered about her appearance (nude or not) despite not caring about her nudity before, so why not work with that? Besides, two teens bumbling around and discussing it afterward is much more entertaining. ;p

In the next scene, we delve into the homeroom teacher plotline after some hints here and there. I could have kept this hush-hush until the next chapter, but you know the future for him is, so why not set up how it got started instead? It also sets the foundation for how I will expand/differ from canon. Aizawa was always realistic about how he did things, so him not being soft on Midoriya here made sense to me.

With the Aoyama scene, we get another slight change from the manga, though it is significant here. I didn't particularly appreciate how Tooru's face reveal was like a one-panel reaction from the class and then immediately back to the plot (tho Mineta's reaction was fun). So I changed her glitching out, but it was a very brief appearance, so only Mineta saw it. We could then have this whole exchange happen and, further, the visible vs. invisible plot, which will come to a head at the end of the next chapter with Tooru's 17th birthday.

The final scene lets them discuss everything else missed up to this point involving the couple. I had originally planned this to also be covered in the third scene and the Aoyama one to be the final one, but it felt bloated, and I wanted to let that just focus on the romance. Plus, it let us cut Hagakure's hair, which at this point would become unruly and be delayed over two months (so four months since it was last cut).

Some progress has been made with the 'general' edit update to all the older chapters. I will mainly focus on it during my Thanksgiving and Christmas break. If everything goes according to plan, I think I can pump out KodaJiro 3 + Cubicity 52 + the edit update before the end of the year. This chapter covered the first week of school, and 52 will cover the next week-ish. I can tell you that chapter 53 will cover a month in comparison, ending with Izuku's 17th birthday. So, see you once more in late December!