A few days later, after Mariko heard the school bell, announcing the end of the lessons for the day, she grabbed a lunchbox full of hot katsudon and quickly left the school kitchen, heading to the 1A classroom. As she approached the classroom, humming under her breath, she knocked on the door, noticing that it is already open.

'Students?' she thought and leaned on the entrance, hiding the lunchbox from the view of the people inside the room.

As she knocked on the door and peeked inside, she noticed Aizawa, standing next to his desk, on which Principal Nezu was stepping.

'Afternoon, Principal, Mr. Aizawa!' she greeted them and pointed her thumb to her back. 'Sorry, I won't be interrupting you anymore.'

'Hello, Okaido. I was actually about to call you here,' the words made Mariko freeze in place, as her heartbeat sped up.

She shot a quick, nervous glance at Eraserhead, who had his usual hard-to-read mask on.

'Looking for me?' she asked and slowly entered the room, holding the lunchbox behind her back.

Her posture made Principal Nezu look down at her hands and he smiled brightly, perfectly reading through her intentions.

'Is it today's katsudon? It's delicious,' he commented, pointing his small, furry paw at the young woman.

'Y-yea, katsudon,' she responded and nodded a little awkwardly. 'It turned out quite well, thank you, principal.'

She adjusted the box in her hands, wiping her right palm on her pants, hoping that none of them would notice. They did.

'So, how can I help you, sir?'

Nezu took a few steps towards Aizawa, crossing his desk until he stood on the edge of it. The teacher looked at the Principal and bent his knees, reading the signal perfectly. Mariko's eyes widened and she chuckled a bit, seeing him crawl into Aizawa's scarf, just like she had seen him do that on her very first day in here.

'I have reviewed your application,' he informed.

Mariko shot another glance at Aizawa, and he thought to himself how bad she is at hiding her feelings.

'Should I ask? Should I pretend like I know what is happening?' her thoughts raced through her brain, but before she had a chance to decide on anything, the Principal continued.

'I think that Aizawa-kun here,' he tilted his head towards Eraser, still looking at Mariko with a kind, warm expression in his eyes. 'Will agree with me, that we would accept someone as a teacher only after them receiving some Pro Hero work experience, either as a sidekick or in their solo career.'

Mariko blinked a few times, stopping herself from saying anything.

'But because you are a bit older than any of our students, already live in the teachers' dorm and have proven to be a capable hero and on top of that I think that your Quirk might be extremely useful for challenging our students to pursue new heights, I came up with something,' he informed and clapped his furry paws, visibly amused. 'You two seem to get along very well,' he said and made a pause, knowing exactly what kind of reaction both of them were trying to hide. Mariko felt her heart jump all the way to the throat and she pinched her own forearm, physically stopping herself from shooting Shota a worried look. Nezu chuckled mischievously. 'And I thought that maybe Aizawa-kun could use an apprentice,' he said with a slightly questioning tone, looking now at Aizawa.

'Oh,' Eraser responded at first, completely taken aback from what he heard.

'You do have two problem children under your care, after all. And on top of that, Eri. I think that even though you might deny it, you could use some help. And it seems that young Okaido is trying her best.' He pointed at the lunch box which she was still holding.

Mariko smirked and placed the food on the desk next to her. She wanted to laugh so badly. The Principal felt like some sort of a prophet and a mind reader. She always thought that Eraser had great observation skills, but this was something else.

Aizawa looked at the Principal and put on a neutral mask. He scratched the back of his neck and nodded slowly.

'Yeah. That's fine.'

'And you, Okaido, what is your opinion on that?'

She closed her half-open mouth and shook her head a few times, regaining composure.

'Of course! I would love to help around with the teaching!'

'Perfect! Midnight has told me all about what you did during Eri's first training, I have high hopes in you,' he admitted and hopped down to the floor.

Aizawa and Mariko quickly looked at each other, not daring to move an inch.

'Alright, I will be going. Be sure to stop by my office later, Okaido. We need to do some paperwork. But for now, I think that you Aizawa-kun, might want to introduce your new apprentice to her new responsibilities. Not necessarily inside school walls,' Nezu informed with a smile, marching in his tiny shoes towards the exit. 'I'll see you two later.'

'See you later, Principal Nezu,' Mariko bowed down to the man leaving the room and Aizawa murmured a goodbye.

As they heard the small footsteps echoing through the corridor, Mariko dashed in front of Eraser, smiling brightly at him, quietly jumping up and down out of pure joy. The man grasped her arms and pushed her to the floor, then wrapped his shoulders around her. They embraced each other for a long moment, not saying a word, just enjoying their presence, as the tension finally left the room and the smell of delicious food filled the space.

Aizawa chuckled softly to Mariko's ear and she climbed on her tippy-toes and wrapped her arms around his neck, looking up at him.

'Does this mean that I can officially call you senpai?' she asked with a dark, mischievous look in her eyes.

He raised his eyebrows.

'You are fucked up,' he commented in a monotone voice with a hint of a smile, making her laugh.

She pushed her cheek to his chest and slid her arms to his torso, squeezing him in a sign of affection. She planted a quick, small kiss on his torso, covered by the smooth, baggy hero costume and let go of him.

'I need to go thank Midnight, eat your food, please.' She turned towards the door but he reached after her and grabbed her hand. 'Hm?'

'Don't you want to go out?'

'Oh,' she said and then looked apologetically at him. 'I already had my dinner, I am not hungry at all.'

'It's OK.' He eyed the lunchbox she brought to the classroom and pulled her closer to him. He leaned forward again and stopped with his mouth right next to her ear. 'We will still go out. For a... dessert,' he finished the sentence with a low, purring noise, sending shivers down her spine.

Mariko felt her face get warmer and she found herself unable to move or speak. He placed his hand on her lower back and held it there, then transferred his face lower down her neck, just teasing her with his warm breath against her skin. He let go of her hand and gave her a little push towards the door.

'Go thank Midnight,' he said with a small, genuine smile, seeing the goosebumps on her forearms.

'Yea, right,' she breathed out and then moved her shoulder pads in a circular motion a few times. 'I'll see you soon, then?'

'Yeah.'

She smiled at him and left him in the empty classroom with the food box waiting for attention. Mariko quickly turned towards the staircase and stormed downstairs, then reminded herself about the rule that forbids running in the corridors. She straightened her back and scolded herself for such foolish behavior and put on a strict mask, which shattered a second later, exchanged by a wide, joyful grin.

A few minutes passed and she was standing in front of Midnight's room, knocking at the door.

'Come in, please!' she heard from the inside.

Mariko wrapped her hand around a cold, polished handle and pushed the door open, eyeing her friend's room with a smile and bright eyes; the smell of the lavender and cinnamon candles hitting her nostrils.

'I can see that someone has received the news, hm?' Midnight asked, peeking at her from above her red, triangle glasses. She was dressed in her hero costume and her appearance was just as flawless as ever.

'Oh yes, I did,' Mariko confirmed and quickly stepped inside the room, then closed the door and leaned her back against it. She released the air, which she was holding in her lungs for so long. 'I need help. We are going out and I think we will... do it.'

'Fuck?' Midnight asked nonchalantly.

Mariko slid to the floor, her back still glued to the door.

'Please, Kayama!' she begged, her voice muffled by her soft palms.

'Haha!' She leaned backwards and raised her feet, controlled by the laughter. 'I love your cute little reactions. You are so pure.' She brought her arms to her chest and swung her body a few times, as if she was hugging someone.

Mariko peeked at the woman from above her hands, hiding her embarrassment, then crawled towards her, sitting down in front of her chair.

'Please, tell me what I need to know,' she requested nicely.

'Don't worry, baby girl,' the woman responded and stood up on her high heels. She grabbed her whip and snapped it once, putting on her serious face, as if she was about to teach her about Heroics or Hero laws. 'First of all,' she informed and cracked the whip again. Mariko cupped her chin in her right hand and listened carefully, ignoring her blushing. 'Consent! The most important part. Without it, sex is nothing but rape. Always remember that. Don't think like you owe the man anything. This is your body and it is your right to establish boundaries, when needed and stop him at any sign of being uncomfortable.'

Mariko nodded vigorously and Midnight took a step to the side, lecturing her further.

'Protection!' she announced and swung the whip close to Mariko, making her flinch. 'Don't believe men when they try to trick you, saying things like 'I cannot feel you through that!',' she mocked in a funny tone, visibly annoyed. Her eyes glared with anger as she stopped, thumping her high heels on the wooden floor, shifting her curvy hips to the side. 'Bullshit! If they cannot feel you, they should test a different brand.'

Mariko frowned and nodded again, not wanting to interrupt the lecture. Midnight's expression softened and she smirked seductively at Mariko, making her raise her eyebrows.

'Foreplay, my favorite part. Take as much time as you want and need, there is no rush, foreplay is a part of sex, not a completely separate thing. Allow your bodies to explore each other, relax, be in the moment, yes?'

'Yes,' she responded instantly.

'Now, I don't know what you are into, girlie, but you look submissive to me. No kinky stuff without a safe word.'

'Huh?' Mariko opened her mouth in surprise. 'How could you possibly tell?'

'I can sense it. I am a dominatrix. If one has enough experience, you can sort of predict what the other person might enjoy, but remember to never assume, ask and communicate.'

Okaido nodded again but then looked at Midnight with the corners of her eyebrows raised.

'But how could you tell, because it's quite... accurate?'

'You got on your knees like a good girl you are, without me giving any order,' the woman before her said in a smug, seductive tone. Her bright blue eyes darkened as she raised her chin, staring the new apprentice down.

'Jesus Christ,' Mariko whispered, covering her face in her hands, feeling her skin burn her palms.

'See? You are so obvious.' She slapped the whip on her back, bringing her left hand to her chin. As she looked up at the fan on her ceiling, she smirked. 'Good for you, Aizawa always gave me dom vibes as well,' she giggled a bit, but then the dead-serious expression appeared on her face. 'I trust him, but if he mistreats you in any way, report back to me. Actually, report back to me anyway, I want to know his sexual preferences, it's a sick hobby of mine.'

'What?' Mariko asked, flabbergasted. 'What hobby?'

'I judge people by their kinks.'

'WHAT?'

'Calm down, baby girl.' She shrugged.

'How does that work, even?'

Midnight returned back to her chair and crossed her legs, placing the whip on her lap.

'Yea, I cannot help but look down at Snipe, Ectoplasm, Cementoss and Thirteen when it comes to that. They have the most vanilla vibes I have ever seen. Bunch of basic bitches.'

Mariko laughed out loud, placing her hand on her aching stomach muscles.

'No way! Girl, that is a bit... rude, to say the least.'

'I cannot help it. I keep it to myself, anyway. Well, at least I did up until now,' she admitted and winked at the girl in front of her, who continued to laugh.

'So,' Mariko started, finally recovering from the previous information. 'Who do you not look down upon?'

'From our staff? Hizashi, Aizawa, All Might, Power Loader, Vlad King,' she responded after a while. Midnight looked up at her ceiling again, fixing her gorgeous hair. 'Power Loader is definitely a sub, Vlad King is most likely a soft dom or a power bottom, but he might have a thing for blood. All Might,' she started and smirked. 'I think All Might would be a dom in his muscle form but outside of it, he might be a pillow prince. Though I cannot help but wonder, do you think that...?'

Mariko stared at her, then moved her head slightly, a questioning look on her face.

'Yes?'

'Do you think that his dick gets bigger?'

Mariko's jaw dropped but then she placed her hand on her jaw, thinking about it.

'I don't know.'

'I think it does.'

They both wondered for some time, but then glanced at each other and laughed loudly. As they were about to recover, there was a knock on the door. Their heads shot towards the direction of the sound. The door cracked open and they noticed Aizawa, slightly leaning onto the doorframe.

'Are you ready?' he asked Mariko and felt his heart sink a bit, as both of the women stared at him mischievously.

'Can I have a bit more time, please? I didn't even go to my room yet.'

He let out a small sigh and scratched the back of his neck.

'Sure.'

Mariko tilted her head and looked up at him softly, as he was trying to step away from the door.

'I will not keep you waiting, though,' she said and noticed his expression change to a grateful one. 'I know you don't like that.' She turned towards Midnight and grinned at her. 'Thank you for all, cutie pie.'

'No problem. Enjoy,' she said and shot Aizawa a smug glance. The man rolled his eyes and held the door open for Mariko.

The young woman got to her feet and then felt her hand being grasped. Just like Shota, Midnight leaned in closer to her ear and whispered:

'Spray some perfume on your ankles, thank me later.'