Any feedback, suggestions, compliments, or questions would be appreciated.

Here is some art that I made of Enso, I'm sure that a lot of you might know where I got the inspiration from him. (Maybe)

Here is also some sketched art of Lynch, made by someone in the discord that also writes a fanfic! Exture! I suggest you guys also check out his My Hero Academia fanfic, "The Broken But Not Defeated" on archiveofourown. https://archiveofourown.org/works/12362883/chapters/28121064

(Yeah yeah, he looks like a Scarecrow and Solomon Grundy hybrid with a Joker personality. But hey, I like them all. Exture did great drawing this.)

__________________________________________

Nemuri: Hi cutie~ It's your favorite hero here~

Enso: I don't have a favorite hero. And even if I did, it DEFINITELY wouldn't be you.

Nemuri: Aw, you little tsundere. I'm sure I can think of a few ways to get you to be honest with yourself~

Enso: I'm blocking you.

Nemuri: WAIT

Nemuri: HOLD ON

Nemuri: I'm sorry. I'll tone it down.

Enso: Thank you.

Nemuri: God, you really don't give me enough respect! Is that really how you treat all women!?

Enso: If they deserve it, yes.

Nemuri: Ouch.

Enso: So was there a point in contacting me? I'd rather not speak with you any more than necessary.

Nemuri: Oh you're SO lucky I'm committed to going through with you because of how satisfying it'll be to see you squirm under me in the end.

Enso: Goodbye.

Nemuri: OKAY OKAY! Look. I wanted to talk about our date!

Enso: So about our agreement?

Nemuri: You can at least PRETEND like you aren't going with me for ulterior motives!?

Enso: You're one to talk.

Nemuri: I told you it's not gonna be just for that! I'm actually trying to take you somewhere you can actually enjoy yourself! Not to get you to bone me, as much as I'd welcome it.

Enso: Ignoring that last part, do you already have an idea of where we'll go?

Nemuri: Even better! I already have the entire thing set up!

Enso: You do? Don't you think you should've actually discussed this with me?

Nemuri: I'd rather surprise you. But don't worry, I'm confident that you'll enjoy where we'll go! Just meet me at my agency in two days at 10. Shouldn't be too far for you if you're commuting to U.A. You can even wear that usual suit of yours. As much as I'd like you to learn to have other fashion choices, I still find you quite charming in that~

Enso: So be it. I'll see you then, I suppose.

Nemuri: Aw, really? That's it? No exciting words? Aren't you looking forward to spending time with such a beautiful young lady?

Enso: What young lady?

Nemuri: You know what? I can't even be mad. I was practically asking for that.

Nemuri: Wait a minute.

Nemuri: You didn't deny the beautiful part.

Enso ignored and muted all further messages sent to him, looking up from his watch and to the crescent moon above as he leaned on the balcony just outside the Urarakas' apartment. Having eaten a meal with the family, Enso had said his goodbyes but waited outside for Izuku to finish discussing the last details of Ochako moving in with him. This gave him a chance to text Midnight after the woman had contacted him much earlier.

And now, he officially had a date to go on.

"Two days..."

Enso stared at the illuminating moon with a neutral gaze. He wasn't particularly excited, as usual, about going on an outing with the R-rated heroine. Still, he couldn't deny that he was curious to find any revelations between them, such as why her quirk didn't work on him like everyone else. Although, that could be figured out with a scientific test rather than a date...

Well, even if nothing intriguing comes out of it, going on this date would still grant him both a vial of blood and favor from Midnight in the future. But then again... would that woman, a respected and responsible hero, really grant him both of those things that easily without question? And for something minuscule as a date with him of all people? Midnight must be suspicious about his intentions with both her blood and a favor, both sounding sketchy in themselves... But she had surprisingly hadn't questioned Enso too much besides what he meant by 'favor,' and even then, she had agreed surprisingly fast.

Perhaps...

"She doesn't intend to grant me those things... At least, not without some kind of conditions..." Enso muttered to himself. "She most likely agreed on the spot to ensure we'd go out together."

It made the most sense to him. Midnight doesn't seem like the type of person that wouldn't 'lie' but wouldn't tell you everything.

"Is it even worth it to get her blood? Then again, the other tests I've done with Ikari involving everyone else's blood hasn't produced visible results..."

Indeed. After the chaotic reaction that Todoroki's blood had from a dose of Ikari's energy, Enso had the idea to test his own blood with the substance. However, he then decided against it in preference to testing the blood of those in the quirk world before his own sooner or later.

Only... there weren't any significant results like Todoroki's. It ended up being that Stain, Iida, Shinso, and Hatsume's blood didn't react to Ikari's energy. So that's why he did somewhat need Midnight's blood. There weren't really any others he knew he could ask without risking them becoming cautious or suspicious...

Well, there was no turning back on this now. Midnight would most likely never let him hear the end of it.

The door opening behind him cut him off from his thoughts.

"Phew, I'm glad that everything ended up well..."

He glanced back to see Izuku shutting the apartment door behind him, a relaxed look of relief on his face.

"I take it you're finished now?" He fully turned to face him.

Izuku nodded with a smile. "Yeah... They'll be coming to my place in a few days."

"Woohoo!"

Ikari shot out from behind Izuku, his whole body taking the shape of his partner's physique, and raised his arms in victory.

"You did it, partner! You and Enso-kun helped mochi girl!"

Izuku chuckled, "Yeah... we did."

"We should go home and celebrate!" Ikari cheered.

"You do that. But first, come and take that animal of yours back from my residence. If he's broken anything, you're paying." Enso said, proceeding to go to the stairs.

...

He was just about to step down them when he realized that he didn't hear Izuku's footsteps follow him, prompting him to stop and turn around.

The boy was frozen in place with wide eyes, realization reflecting off them. Ikari floated beside him, tilting his head curiously while eyeing his partner.

It took only a moment for Enso to realize the issue.

"You didn't tell your mother about the pup, did you?"

Izuku hung his head in shame.

______________________________________

~{The Next Day: U.A- 9:45AM}~

"Sorry for making you come here during the start of what's supposed to be your summer break, Kendo."

Sekijiro Kan apologized as he worked at his desk, grading several worksheets of varying topics. In the teacher's lounge with him, seated next to him at Aizawa's desk (he won't mind), was the familiar ginger-haired student he was apologizing to for being there.

"It's alright, sensei." Kendo reassured him with a smile, organizing the papers he checked and more relating to her classmates. "I didn't really have anything to do anyways."

"You didn't have anything you wanted to immediately do for your break?" Vlad asked her, making conversation as the two worked on their respective tasks, as it was only the two of them in the teacher's lounge.

"Er..." Kendo sheepishly smiled, turning away.

Okay, maybe she had been planning on mustering her courage to invite a particular viridian boy somewhere, but it's not like she kept getting nervous and held off on it.

"No, not really." She said instead, continuing with her work as the class president.

"Well, you have about two weeks before you'll all have to go to the training camp. I'd suggest at least enjoying yourselves until then." Vlad suggested, stapling some papers together and passing them to Kendo.

"Yeah, I've got a few things in mind." The girl said as she received the packet and started looking through it.

"Good to hear. I know that we're grinding you all into heroes, but that doesn't mean you can't enjoy yourself after hard work."

Kendo merely nodded in response as the two continued to work, making small talk here and there.

After a few minutes of this, Vlad pushed his chair back and stood up.

"Excuse me, I'll be back in a bit. Just organize the papers in the meantime." He said, leaving the room and leaving Kendo alone.

Class-B's big sister continued to work but mumbled to herself now that Vlad was gone.

"I wonder if Midoriya is out with any of the other girls..."

She sighed as she stacked papers together and put them on another pile.

"Geez, how did this even happen? When I first met the guy, he really didn't seem like much... How did it even start?"

She thought back to her first day as the class representative from class B, meeting the other first-year class reps and catching sight of a green-haired boy who looked like he'd crumble at any moment if you just tapped him. She had wondered how such a timid boy was elected as Class 1-A's representative, and she would've thought his class bullied him into the position had the vice-rep Momo not been with him. If anything, Momo being there made her even more confused, as she didn't understand how the mature and composed woman wasn't class rep.

Kendo made sure to talk to them, seeing as they were the other hero class's reps, and confirmed that Izuku did indeed have some sort of anxiety speaking to others but also found that Momo thought highly of him. Kendo liked his green eyes, and his freckles made him look kinda cute in a way that made you want to ruffle his hair-

God, his HAIR. It's ILLEGALLY FLUFFY.

-but besides that, he didn't leave too much of an impression.

But that first started changing when... she'd have to say it was when the two went to lunch together after a sudden meeting about the sport's festival.

He told her that Class 1-B was just as amazing as Class 1-A, that Class 1-B had proven themselves just as much as Class 1-A that they belonged in the hero course. That was the first time she found herself somewhat impressed by him, as the boy's timid persona had been entirely replaced by a profound and unwavering boy who only wanted to let her know that she and her class were just as important as his own class.

From then on... she found herself paying attention to the boy much more than she thought she would.

During their student representative meetings, he'd always try to participate and offer help of any kind to anyone that needed it. He always seemed to have a natural aura of trust that helped you just relax around him. And he rarely ever complained about anything, compared to most other people, and instead, always seemed to do anything asked with a smile, as if he's happy being relied upon.

Then there was the sports festival, where Kendo began to understand just how incredible Izuku is. Taking first place in the obstacle course race through his quick thinking and then showed the abilities of a great leader through the cavalry battle.

By that point, Kendo's respect for Izuku had doubled, but at the one-vs-one tournament battles, she'd say it quadrupled.

She'll be honest. At first, when she heard that her fight would be against Izuku, she had thought he'd be like any other guy and be 'considerate' of her because she was a girl, something she's faced several times while learning to fight in her dojo. That, and Izuku's overall timidness around girls in general, had her assume that he'd be just holding himself back.

But no, from the moment they locked eyes on the battlefield, she saw the face of someone who'd give it his all to win. He took her seriously and fought her like he would against anyone else. And even after their battle, his usual kindness kicked in, to which he actually apologized for beating her. He's so strong and yet so kind...

That was when she had confirmed just what the warmth of her beating heart meant.

And here she was now, sulking that she was here working on reading and organizing papers rather than enjoying herself somewhere with the object of her affection.

Kendo sighed as she carried on with her work for the next few seconds, stapling one batch of papers together before moving them to the side. But it was when she grabbed another pile of papers that her eyes caught something interesting.

"The permission slips for the training camp."

She saw one of her classmates' names at the top of the first paper, with the rest of the sheet filled out with the proper information in each box.

Kendo didn't think much of these slips but checked page after page to ensure that her whole class was accounted for. And while they were, there was still another class's worth of papers left, making her confused for a brief moment before she saw the different names on them.

"Oh, Class 1-A's pile is here too..."

She supposed it made sense to bunch both classes together. They were both going on the same trip, after all. Kendo decided to do a quick skim of her fellow hero class's slips to test her memory of their names while ensuring they were all accounted for.

But at one point, she stopped moving when she got on a particular paper, a specific detail on it catching her eyes.

"This is...?"

Of course, it was about a particular cinnamon roll.

"Birthday... JULY 15!?!"

Kendo's eyes were practically bulging from their sockets as she set down the paper and pulled out her phone, turning it on to see the date.

July 12.

"Th-Three days!?" She sputtered. "That soon!? I didn't even-!? Why didn't he-!?"

Kendo was baffled, wondering how she hadn't heard about this.

But an answer came a bit too quickly for her liking, and she didn't like it.

"I guess... compared to the others of his class, I wouldn't really be considered a 'close' friend since we don't talk too much outside of class rep meetings and the occasional texts..."

Dammit! She knew she should've pushed herself to interact with him more! Even if it was just something like sparring! That definitely would've been a good excuse for the two to bond, testing each others' martial arts knowledge...

"I wonder if his class is planning some sort of party... Could I still go to it? It wouldn't be rude to ask, would it? I AM a friend of Midoriya, at least... God, what if it's just a Class A thing, and they're not letting anyone else in?"

Kendo stared at her phone, thinking for a few seconds before sighing.

"Well... It doesn't hurt to ask, at least."

She unlocked her phone and scrolled through her contacts.

"I can't ask Midoriya himself since that'd be awkward, and I don't even know if he's aware of any party planned. So I guess that just leaves Yaoyorozu. She's the only other contact of Class 1-A I've got, but she's probably the best one besides Enso."

She found the contact of Class 1-A's vice representative and immediately texted a quick message, not wanting to think too much and suddenly back down.

Kendo: Hey Yaoyorozu, is your class doing anything for Midoriya's birthday?

She stared at her phone a few seconds afterward as if expecting Momo to answer quick, then turned it off and set it down as an anxious feeling took to her. Would she ask her why she wanted to go to the party? Or is there a chance she'd just outright deny her going because she thought of her as a 'rival?'

Kendo didn't ponder too much on this as a minute later, her phone vibrated with a response.

And it was one she didn't expect.

Yaoyorozu: Izuku's birthday? Is it coming up?

Kendo was dumbfounded.

Did... Did she not know?

Kendo: Er, it's in three days? I thought your class would've had something planned already?

Kendo received a barrage of vibrations from her phone.

Yaoyorozu: THREE DAYS!?!

Yaoyorozu: That close!?

Yaoyorozu: Why has he never said anything about it!?

Yaoyorozu: And how do you know that!?

Yaoyorozu: Did he tell you!?

Yaoyorozu: Why didn't he ever tell me!?

Kendo blinked several times to see the frantic messages of the usually calm and composed Momo. It seemed she genuinely didn't know that the green bean's birthday was just around the corner.

Kendo: You didn't know? Did anyone in your class know???

Yaoyorozu: No! I'm sure they would've mentioned it if they knew! How did you learn about it, Kendo!?

Kendo: I'm actually at U.A right now doing some work for Vlad and saw the permission slips of the training camp for both of our classes. I caught a glimpse of Midorya's and caught his birthday.

Kendo: I thought your class had already planned something for him with the day so close, so I texted you cause I was curious about it. But to think he didn't tell you...

Yaoyorozu: I must notify my classmates at once! They will not stand for this! If there's anyone who deserves a celebration for their birth, it's Izuku!

Kendo frantically texted her back.

Kendo: Wait!

Kendo: Hold on a moment.

Kendo: Make sure that when you tell your class that they don't mention this to Midoriya.

Kendo: I think this is the perfect time to plan a surprise party for him.

Yaoyorozu: Indeed! I've had the same thought! It will be fantastic! And I already have a location in mind! I'm sure we can use one of the classrooms at U.A to set up!

Kendo found herself grinning. She couldn't wait to make the boy of her affections smile.

_________________________________________

~{Next Day: Midnight Agency- 9:46AM}~

To think Izuku's birthday would be so close... Enso honestly hadn't expected that to be another issue to deal with. Well, not 'issue' perse, but something to consider. He had sure been surprised when Momo had texted him yesterday, telling him that the class would be rushing to plan something and that he should keep Izuku busy, which wasn't hard since the boy was focused on readying his home to accept Ochako. So much seemed to be happening in such a short time. Fixing Ochako's situation, planning a gathering for Izuku, and now, for himself, dealing with going on a date with the R-Rated hero.

The agency of which he stood in front of right now.

Enso stood in the middle of the sidewalk, staring upward at the tall, purple building he was meant to enter. He had to hand it to Midnight; the woman sure did know how to make an agency both eye-catching yet fashionable.

But it was still a shame he had to enter it, though.

Had it not been for steeling himself two days before, Enso would've had many second thoughts about coming to such a place. Sadly, he had already decided to go through with meeting Midnight, although she never did specify where in her agency he'd meet her.

So taking one deep breath like it was his last, he pushed the glass doors open and entered the agency.

The lobby was a lot more normal than what he had expected it to be, as it was a plain white area with a desk at the back. He walked over to the desk, and the visibly young man smiled at him.

"Of course, he's young..."

"Welcome to the Midnight Agency. How may I be of assistance?" The man smiled.

"I'm here because I'm supposed to meet with Nemuri." Enso blatantly stated.

The man's eyes widened. "Oh? You're the young man Midnight has set her eyes on? I'm glad to hear it. I feared that the mistress would continue to avoid investing in a genuine love life in favor of keeping up with her career."

"Is... Is that the excuse she gave them to avoid talking about her lack of sex life?"

"The mistress should be waiting for you right on the roof." The young man smiled.

"The... roof?" Enso repeated, wondering if he had heard that right.

The man nodded. "Indeed. Though, I do suggest you get a move on. If the boys hear that you're here, then-"

"Halt, you scoundrel!"

"Oh boy..." The man facepalmed, and Enso turned around to see four fairly attractive males posing with severe looks. Each young man was well-dressed, wearing a suit jacket, black dress pants, and black loafers. One had blonde hair slightly parted, another had black hair shaped into a dome and had glasses on, the third also had black hair that was combed to cover an eye, and the fourth and final male had dark brown hair and a short ahoge sprouting from the back of his head.

"We will not allow you to lay your hand on mistress Midnight, fiend!" The blonde one shouted, pointing right at him.

...

...

Enso turned back to the receptionist.

"So, should I just take the elevator up?"

All four boys fell over.

"D-Don't ignore us!" The one with glasses shouted, standing back up with his companions.

Enso sighed before turning back to them.

"I'm probably gonna regret asking but... who are you?"

The males all smiled and started posing, each one speaking after the other.

"We are mistress Midnight's sidekicks-!"

"Her supporters and biggest fans-!"

"The four boys of glimmering wonder-!"

"With looks only matched by our grace-!"

All four posed together in a final picture, smiling as they said in unison;

"We are the Midnight Boys!"

Enso stared at the four with blank eyes.

"Who?"

"What!? Did we not just-!?"

"Cares?" Enso cut him off, making all four boys blink before scowling.

"How disrespectful!" The brown-haired one snapped.

"Mistress Midnight deserves far better than this scamp!" The one-eyed one hissed.

"And yet, he was the one to be asked to accompany her on a date... I'm so jealous!" The one with glasses tightly clenched a fist.

"This cannot be! Mistress Midnight has never asked a male companion out! None were ever worth her attention, and yet, you were the one who was given the privilege!? Why!?" The blonde pointed at him.

"Are you all antagonizing me just because Nemuri asked me out while not any of you?" Enso facepalmed.

The four males gasped.

"Y-You... You're even on a first name basis!?" The one-eyed one stuttered.

"Unbelievable... We can't accept this! We won't allow you to take our mistress!" The brown-haired one declared.

The four boys got close and posed, each of them extending a hand out at Enso.

"If you wish to see mistress Midnight, you will have to go through us! Right boys?"

"Right!" The other boys shouted.

Enso just shrugged.

"Four punches it is, then."

"If you think you can prove to us that you really are deserving of- Wait, what?" All four boys did a double-take at the new feeling of danger that chilled the room.

Enso started walking towards them, cracking his knuckles as his eyes and aura flared blue.

Then he said two simple words that filled the boys with pure terror.

"Spirit Breaker."

___________________________________________

~{Rooftop of Midnight Agency}~

Enso calmly leaned against the elevator wall as it went up, not regretting what he just did. Technically, he had assaulted several pro heroes, but he knew that he'd probably get away with it, especially since Midnight would prob throw it under the bus since they had asked for it.

Still, he felt pretty uncomfortable hearing that Midnight had four young males as her sidekicks. What were her intentions with them exactly? Did she try to sleep with them as well?

...

It was probably best not to think about it.

*Ding!*

He straightened up as he felt the elevator stop, mentally preparing by telling himself one straightforward thing.

DON'T punch her, no matter how tempting it is.

Simple.

The elevator doors opened, and Enso stepped onto the warm rooftop, finding the ground made of smooth tiles as the glistening sun shone down upon him.

He immediately had questions once seeing the helicopter on the pad just ahead.

"There you are! I was beginning to think you'd had run away, and I'd have to find you~."

At the helicopter pad was the R-Rated hero herself, a whole new look to her. She had on a black, long sleeve v-neck dress that surprisingly didn't show much cleavage but still highlighted the shapes of her breasts. The dress went down to her ankles, which she wore together with black high-heel shoes. Her long hair was tied up in a spiky ponytail, and the triangular red glasses she wore on her hero costume were all but gone, replaced with smaller regular glasses.

She stood proud with a hand on her hip, flipping her hair back slightly as she smiled sweetly at him.

"So, what do you think? Does it make your heart race?" She winked, motioning at her dress.

Enso hummed, "Well, for once, you don't look like a threat to every child in the area."

"What the fuck kind of answer is that!?!" Midnight abruptly shouted.

"My kind."

"You little-!" Midnight stopped herself and took a deep breath to calm herself. "Okay, whatever. You're a few minutes late, but I know you're really punctual about everything. So what held you up?"

Enso rolled his eyes. "Your 'boys' cut me off and commanded me to face them."

Midnight actually smiled at that. "Oh, the boys challenged you to a battle of charms? You actually impressed them enough to let you go without a fuss?"

Enso blinked.

"Oh... That's what they meant?"

Midnight raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, yeah? Did you not go through it?"

"..."

"Enso, what did you do?"

"..."

"Ureshi. What. Did. You. Do?"

"Ah, she's using my last name."

Enso turned away, expression black and white.

"I may or may not have spirit broke them."

Midnight sputtered, hands on her cheeks in horror.

"You punched the boys in their boys!?"

"Perhaps."

Midnight stomped her foot with a vein popping out.

"You realize I can get you arrested for assaulting several pro heroes!?"

"Hm, what a shame. I suppose we're not going on that date after all." Enso sarcastically answered, no regrets.

Midnight raised a finger at him, an eye twitching.

"You're going to apologize to them later."

Enso decided not to argue against it to avoid anything worse. "I suppose that's only fair."

He then glanced at the large helicopter behind her.

"So, about the helicopter...?"

A smile formed back onto Midnight as her hands motioned to the flying vehicle.

"Isn't it obvious? It'll take us to our intended destination!"

"Couldn't we have just met in front of said destination?"

"Oh, come on! Where's your enthusiasm!? It's not every day you get to ride in a helicopter!" Midnight huffed, then grabbed Enso by the hand. "Just stop trying to find the flaws in things and just go with the flow! Cmon!"

Enso said nothing as Midnight dragged him into the helicopter, where a young man was already waiting in the pilot's seat. The two took their spots in the back, and Enso tied his long hair into a ponytail before putting on the headset. And with a quick nod from Midnight, the pilot started up the propellers, and they were up in the air.

*Did anyone ever tell you that you look absolutely gorgeous with your hair tied up like that?* Midnight's radio voice cooed as she leaned against him with a smile.

*No, I don't tend to tie it up unless I'm cooking or deem it required.* Enso's responded, ignoring the physical contact and curiously staring outside at the view of the city.

*Well, you do, so I think you should keep it that way! It looks wonderful.* Midnight giggled, wrapping her arms around his.

*I'll consider it.*

...

*Will you actually?*

*Probably not.*

*Yeah... Thought so.*

______________________________________

~{An Hour Later }~

Flying into the sky and out of the city was different than Enso had expected it to be.

He wasn't moving at incredible speeds to escape or get to someone. He wasn't constantly dodging people and projectiles each millisecond. He wasn't even piloting a dangerous device where a crash would ensure his death.

He was just sitting; that was it.

But despite his stoic look, Enso was actually on edge. As the helicopter flew out of the city, past experiences plagued his mind and hindered his ability to relax.

He had never been so high without anything life-threatening happening.

*Hey...*

He had almost forgotten why he was up here in the first place. He sighed and turned his head to the pro hero with him, expecting another sort of seductive or playful grin.

But instead, he received a look of... concern?

Midnight had stopped hugging his arm and had backed up a bit, the concern of a teacher on her face.

*Are you actually afraid of heights?*

Enso frowned. She saw something through him?

*What gave you that impression?* He asked.

*Well, it was just this... look in your eyes. Even though you're trying to keep a straight face, I could just tell something is bothering you. I became sure of it when your eye twitched.*

"Damn it, I gave an involuntary cue."

Enso turned away, frowning lightly.

*I'm not afraid of high elevation. I'm just...*

Flashes of flames and ruin flashed to his mind.

*...recalling past things.*

Midnight didn't seem to like what that answer implied, especially from someone like Enso, who she barely had any background information on, thanks to Nezu being hush-hush about him.

*You know that the teachers are always willing to hear you out, right? I know I'm probably the last person you'd want to talk to about personal stuff, but it might do you good to talk to Hound Dog. He's the school's therapist for a reason, you know?*

Enso turned to her, genuinely surprised.

*U.A has a therapist?*

...

Midnight's expression turned blank.

*Okay, something is very wrong if you and the other students forgot that. And I don't know who to blame for it.*

*I usually blame Nezu for everything. Makes sense most of the time.*

*I can understand that.* Midnight nodded. *But what I said still stands. Teachers are teachers for a reason, you know? If you bottle up stuff and never tell anyone how you're feeling, then sooner or later, it could end up hindering you.*

But Enso knew that the only adults he could speak to about his situation were either All Might or Nezu, and he didn't find either of them suitable to have a 'heart-to-heart' with, nor would he want to. To him, Izuku would probably be the best to talk to about his past life, but even then, Enso wasn't the type of person who liked sharing things or being 'sentimental.'

However, he supposed that if Izuku wanted to know more about his past experiences, then of course he'd share. He knew the worst of what he's done anyway.

*I'll consider it.*

Midnight smiled, fingers going to her cheek cutely. *Good to know! Personally, I'd love it if you'd visit my office more~.*

*You were finally teacher-like for one moment, and then you ruined it, congratulations.* Enso deadpanned.

*What do you mean 'finally!?' I'm a completely productive and teacher-like school!* Midnight snapped with the rise of an authoritative finger.

*You mean how you purposely flaunt your body around like you're horny 24-7?*

*That's my THING!*

*That you're always horny? Disgusting.*

*Apologize to 90% of the internet!*

"Are... Are they really going on a date?" The pilot sweatdropped, picking up their conversation through his own headset.

The two continued to bicker for so long about random things that they didn't even realize they were getting close to their destination.

*For the last time, pineapple and any other unique toppings on pizza shouldn't be judged. If it works for the individual person, then it's okay.* Enso glared at her.

*I swear to god, you and everyone else shouldn't be allowed to create such vile monstrosities! That is cursed, and I'll stomp on whoever says otherwise-! Oh, we're here! Look!*

Enso turned to where Midnight was happily staring and saw that he was in a new city, oddly familiar for some reason.

*What city is that?*

Midnight turned to him with a grin.

*Hosu!*

Flashes of Lynch maniacally laughing while holding Izuku hostage flashed through his mind.

*I see...*

Apparently, he did well to hide the distaste this time, as Midnight was still smiling at him as she pointed at a particular skyscraper they were closing in on.

*You know what that building is, right there?*

*Can't say I do.*

Midnight snapped her fingers.

*That right there is Lunch Rush's hero agency!*

Enso narrowed his eyes.

*What? But why would we-?*

*I know what you're thinking! Why here of all places?* Midnight crossed her legs. *Well, this is only a secret among those who know Lunch Rush personally, but on the top floor of his agency is a high-class restaurant that serves foods from all over the world! I know that you're actually quite fond of food from what I've heard from Lunch Rush, so I know you'll love this place! Its menu is second to none in terms of variety!*

*Should I be offended that he has never mentioned something like that to me?* Enso asked, yet staring at the building with a newfound curiosity.

*He was going to tell you a bit after finals so you could celebrate, but I had him hold off on it to take you there myself!* She beamed.

Enso rubbed his chin. *I'll have to thank Lunch Rush for having such a wonderful place.*

A vein popped out. *Hey! I'm the one taking you here, you know!? What about me!?*

*I would've learned of this place regardless from Lunch Rush and could've planned to come here on my own time. If anything, you hindered me by preventing me from obtaining this information so much earlier.*

Midnight groaned as she buried her face in her hands.

*But...*

"Eh?"

Midnight looked up to see Enso facing her with his eyes... softer?

*I have realized that I keep only thinking the worst involving you, and I apologize for that.* Enso lightly bowed his head to her before glancing back outside.

Midnight seemed to be processing what he was saying before a cheeky grin went to her face.

*Oh? So you can be nice? That's one step for me already!* She chuckled, leaning close to him.

Enso bit back the urge to toss her out of the helicopter as they landed at their destination, where the two then took off their headsets and stepped out onto the pad.

"Phew! It feels so much fresher up here than on the roof of my agency!" Midnight said with a hand shielding her eyes from the sunlight.

"Must have to do with the mountains in the distance." Enso remarked as he stepped out behind her.

Midnight made a few gestures to the pilot, who nodded and tipped his cap at her. She then turned around and took Enso by the hand, dragging him towards the elevator doors on the roof.

"Is he just going to wait there?" Enso asked, peaking behind him at the man now relaxing in his seat.

"Yup! We'll be here for about two hours! Taro is a good boy and always waits patiently for me!"

Enso's judgemental eyes bore into the back of Midnight's head as she led them into the elevator, but the woman ignored them as she pressed the button for the floor beneath them before wrapping her arms around Enso's right one.

"Are you just going keep a hold of me every chance you can?" He asked, yet not bothering to pull away.

"Don't you know that it's common sense for a gentleman to escort his date?" Midnight winked.

"Except I'm your reluctant date."

Midnight just hugged him tighter. "Well, then I'm escorting you."

"I..." Enso paused in thought before humming. "Okay, fair enough."

There was then a 'ding' as the elevator stopped, opening up to reveal a rather fancy-looking restaurant. There were red walls and red carpet floors, several square tables, large glass windows, and a white roof with many crystal chandeliers hanging.

But for such a nice-looking place, there weren't too many people. Yet Enso wasn't too surprised about it since the restaurant wasn't meant to be known unless you were acquainted with Lunch Rush. And actually taking a moment to look around, he only saw a couple sitting by one of the large windows, a few men seated by themselves, and two groups of three eating together.

"Hopefully, this means I won't have to worry about rumors about Midnight and me being spread." He thought as he and the hero made it to a desk where a receptionist sat.

"Oh, Midnight! It's wonderful to see you again." The dark-haired female chirped. "Though I must say it's strange to see you here without Eraserhead and Mic."

"Well, today is special! As I've come with this one for an enjoyable time!" Midnight grinned, tapping Enso's arm.

The woman turned to Enso before her eyes widened, then turned back to her friend with an unsure expression.

"Oh dear, you've got your hands on the high school student? And the one who landed second place in the sports festival, at that... And here I thought you teaching at U.A really didn't mean anything. Not that I'm one to judge, but your career can take a huge hit if the media finds out, Midnight."

"Oh, don't worry about that." Midnight waved her off without much worry.

"I think you should worry a lot more..." Enso honestly suggested.

"It'll be fine! This place is a safe place that keeps rumors from spreading! Besides, even if something comes out, it wouldn't be the first time I've been in a scandal! Just look at the day I officially became a teacher!" Midnight said proudly.

"Wait a minute." Enso narrowed his eyes. "How were you, the R-Rated hero and someone whose tastes involve younger people, even allowed to become a teacher in the first place?"

She giggled. "Nezu."

"Of course." Enso threw his hands up and turned away, shaking his head.

"Anyways, Yuki, can you get us a table?" Midnight sweetly asked.

"Oh, of course! I apologize for holding you up!" The woman stood up and hurriedly led them to a table by the window, leaving them with... tablets?

"Is... Is the menu that large that they need to keep it in a digital space?" Enso muttered, turning on the device and looking through it.

"Yup! It could take someone an hour before they're ready to order!" Midnight winked at him. "Amazing, right?"

"Indeed it is. I'd normally say that the only downside would be exploring or navigating through such a large menu, but you can filter through the types of meals and the courses they're in." Enso muttered, already proceeding to look through the menu. "So many meals I haven't tried before..."

"Well, take your time. After all, this restaurant is on Lunch Rush's agency, so the chefs make the food quick but perfect. It should only take at most thirty minutes for whatever you order to arrive." Midnight beamed, scrolling through her own menu. "Just pick what you want from the tablet, and it'll be sent to the staff when we both finish. And don't worry about prices. I'm paying for everything."

"In that case, I've made my decision." Enso stated, tapping his screen.

"Already!? Shouldn't you be exploring the menu more?" Midnight asked, shocked that he was ready so quickly.

Enso looked up at her. "Regardless of what I get, there will still be so much I'll have to try next time. So I might as well just go in a certain order with reasonable combinations."

Midnight blinked before chuckling. "Huh, you sure do think of things fast, don't you? Well, I have a usual meal that I get here, so I'm good. That means more time to flirt!"

"Oh, goodie." Enso responded in a dry voice.

But, despite Midnight saying that, the conversation that followed for the next dozen minutes was actually... normal. Well, normal as speaking to an erotic professional hero could go. Midnight mainly spoke about herself, most likely trying to appeal to Enso with overall facts that she hoped he might find interesting.

Enso wasn't surprised when she explained that she became an expert in modern art history partly because she had been looking for ways to get around costume laws and make her hero costume as legally erotic as possible.

And rather than Midnight having been the one to seek out a teaching position, it had apparently been Nezu who had invited her to teach at U.A, one reason being that she was an alumni of the school. Then he learned that Nezu had initially had her as a homeroom teacher for the hero course, but after SHE signed up Aizawa to become a teacher, Nezu had given him the role.

Enso didn't even bother questioning how it was that easy for someone without a teaching degree to become a teacher of the most prominent hero school.

By the time their food did arrive, including Enso's caviar and Fugu sashimi, was when their conversation took a different turn.

"Well enough about me, tell me about yourself, Enso!" Midnight encouraged, cutting her steak into several pieces.

Enso had been chewing when she asked this, then stalling in place for a few seconds before swallowing.

"There isn't really much I can say..."

Midnight raised an eyebrow. "That you can say? Does this have to do with why Nezu has you in U.A as some kind of 'special student?'"

"He told the staff something like that? I was under the assumption that you were all told nothing and saw me as any other normal student." Enso narrowed his eyes before taking another bite of fish.

"We weren't actually told anything too personal about you, but as teachers, we pick up on things and know that you're more experienced than you look based on your performances in class. And we also know that Nezu really finds you interesting. There are bets that you were some kind of unknown vigilante before he secretly took you into the school since we don't have a vigilante reform program."

"The rat is most likely interested in me because I'm the living proof that other worlds exist..." Enso thought.

"Oh wait, we also noticed that you and Midoriya have this weird relationship involving All Might, but we were told not to question it." Midnight added, taking a bite of steak before moaning in bliss.

"Interesting. So the teachers have always known a bit about our connection but were told not to investigate further." Enso noted, having always wondered why not at least one teacher questioned him about... himself in general.

Enso sighed. "Sorry, but I can't share my past because it's a lot of... delicate material. I do hope you respect that."

Midnight looked curious. "Jeez, you make it sound like you were really involved in some deep stuff. Don't worry, though. I know better than to pry into something Nezu is trying to keep secret. I ain't suicidal. And besides, trying to get you to share would just push you away from me."

"Thank you." Enso nodded appreciatively.

"Hm, well, if you can't tell me about your past, then..." Midnight gave him a bright, encouraging smile. "How about you tell me what you like?"

"...What I like?" Enso tilted his head.

"Yeah. Like how you really seem to enjoy food. So what kind of other things do you like? What do you like to spend your free time doing? Just what makes you happy?" Midnight finished, pointing her fork at him in expectance.

...

Enso looked down, thinking back on where he's been, who he's met, and what he's done so far with his life.

'Just what makes you happy?'

Happy? As if he's ever felt something like that. Whatever the doctor had done to him was to ensure that he'd be distant, if not completely barred from his emotions, in order to better combat Lynch with a calm mind so the villain wouldn't get in his head. However, Enso knew that it's hard to completely override someone's mind permanently. Even if you turn someone into someone completely different, there's always going to be a part of that person left. And it wouldn't be far-fetched for that part to grow and return the person to who they once were.

Enso believed himself to be in the middle of such a... 'process.' He remembered things. He was feeling himself slowly regaining parts of his old self. Still, it was at such a slow pace that he never usually noticed until it became relevant. His sarcasm, snarkiness, and sharp tongue were things he had unconsciously gained over time, and his 'enjoyment' for cooking was an interest he didn't remember when it had even started.

So... what gave him genuine enjoyment? Food and cooking were interesting, but he still couldn't call what he felt about it 'joy' yet. And when he thought of any other things he found interesting, not much came up, so...

"I... don't know."

Midnight blinked.

"What? You don't know? Oh come on, there's gotta be something else you feel happy doing! You've already got cooking, so there should be-"

Midnight's words died when Enso looked up at her, a solemn look in his eyes.

"Nemuri. I know you're just curious about me, but... I'm not too well familiar with my emotions, or at least with my positive ones. Cooking has given me an unfamiliar feeling that I don't oppose. But besides that, I can't ever remember a time that I've been genuinely happy. So when you ask me if I ever enjoyed doing something... I can't answer that."

Midnight's mouth fell open as she heard this. She had already noticed that Enso wasn't exactly the most... expressive of people, but she had assumed it was similar to how Todoroki closed himself off from the class. And the dual-colored boy had opened himself up after fighting Izuku, talking, smiling, and there was even one point she swore he had chuckled during a class.

But she didn't think Enso was that emotionally stunted, and she didn't think it wasn't by choice. Midnight didn't like the implications of this one bit, as she knew emotional detachment could result from past abuse, neglect, and trauma.

Was... Was that the reason Nezu got him enrolled in U.A? But that didn't make much sense for the principal to be so... personal about such a matter to even keep it a secret from his own staff that he trusted. He usually pushed such matters about abuse or the such to those like Aizawa or Present Mic, so why do everything himself without informing them? And even though Nezu got him into the school, Midnight never did understand why he seemed so fond of Enso. She didn't think the two would be so close, or at least on the principal's side.

Unless... they sympathized with each other?

But then that meant...

"Experimentation?"

She paled.

Was that why the circumstances behind Enso were so secretive too? Was he the result of some kind of illegal experimentation, and Nezu saved him somehow? Or had he gotten out himself, and Nezu just took him in?

And here she was actually trying to get him to fall for her.

God, she had never felt like so much shit.

"I'm... I'm so sorry..." She ended up uttering.

Enso looked up at her and saw the guilt and horror on her face, making his eyes narrow in suspicion. It was clear that she had formed some kind of conclusion on her own about him, and while he didn't have the need to correct her on it... it was probably better that she didn't get the wrong idea.

"I'm going to tell you this now, whatever you're assuming right now, it's probably, no, most definitely wrong."

That had her look back up and blink in shock.

"Y-You don't even know what I was thinking!"

"I don't, but I'm confident that my situation is so unique that whatever idea you have is wrong."

"Wh-What does that mean!?" Midnight cried out.

"Exactly how it sounds. And although I appreciate how you're worried about me, you don't have to be."

"I'm a teacher, Enso. I'm your teacher! I'm supposed to be worried." She frowned.

"And yet, you, that same teacher, are here with me on a date." Enso deadpanned, motioning a hand to her and the area around them.

Midnight raised a finger. "I mean-!"

...

...

She slumped with her head hanging.

"Yeah, I had that same thought a moment ago, sorry..."

Enso sighed.

"But if it makes you feel better, my opinion of you has changed somewhat."

Midnight raised her head with a look of surprise as Enso continued.

"I had only thought of you as some kind of sexual deviant, but besides the whole, 'trying to seduce your student,' I'd say you really are a better teacher than I thought."

Midnight deadpanned back at these words, as the first half sounded more than an insult, but then she smiled.

"I'll just accept the compliment."

"Good, because that'll probably be the only one you'll receive from me for a long time." Enso stated, eating another bite of sashimi.

Midnight chuckled, not even perturbed by this. "You ass."

Enso just hummed as the two continued eating, finishing their meals with satisfaction.

"So, what are you gonna get for dessert?" Midnight asked, bringing herself back to a cheery mood.

"The avocado ice cream." Enso said without hesitation.

"The what!?" Midnight looked aghast, even recoiling a bit in her chair.

"The avocado ice cream." He repeated like it was normal.

Midnight stared at him as if she had just witnessed him commit genocide.

"Who would-!? Why is there-!?"

"Don't go judging until you tried it yourself." Enso stated proudly. "Besides, I doubt it's the worst thing a person could hear."

Midnight didn't look convinced, still looking rather disgusted.

"I am never trying such an abomination. Just hearing the concept sounds so weird."

Enso rolled his eyes and was about to start an argument about the matter until-

"What's going on here!?!"

Both Enso and Midnight turned to the new voice approaching, finding a familiar blonde angrily marching towards them.

"Oh, you can't be serious."

Out of all the people that Enso didn't want to see him being with Midnight right now, the worst possible option just had to be Mount Lady. Rather than being in costume, she was in casual attire consisting of brown heeled shoes, light-blue jeans that were rolled up just above her ankles, and a plain dark-blue shirt with a brown coat. Enso probably wouldn't have recognized her at first had it not been for her voice.

Ever since interning with Kamui and working with Mount Lady and Mineta for a few jobs, Enso hadn't seen the woman. However, having reluctantly given her his contact, the hero had occasionally texted him. He had initially planned to just ignore most messages from her since he thought they'd be sexual or flirty, but he had been surprised to find that Mount Lady had been relatively interesting to communicate with whenever he did glimpse at her messages.

Enso learned that she was much more intelligent than he had initially assumed, but not in the intellectual sense. Mount Lady had a surge of popularity despite debuting only last year, having quickly risen through the ranks to the point where she's even in the double digits rather than triple for most heroes.

She claimed she always knew which areas to look for flashier crimes rather than where the most crimes took place like most other heroes do. She knew how to use her charm, appeal to the people, and keep up appearances like it was natural. And Enso does remember in his short time with her that there were always bright smiles sent towards her. Although, in addition to many blushes from men by how she used her feminine charm.

However, many of their conversations ended up diverging to if he was ever going to 'take her out somewhere,' and that's where most of their talks would end. He had as much interest in taking her somewhere as he had for taking Midnight somewhere himself, which was practically none. So he had never given in to taking her out.

So it was really bad for the same woman he had rejected to see him here dining with who he'd probably call Mount Lady's mortal enemy.

And it showed on her face, as Mount Lady looked absolutely outraged. Her eye was twitching, her teeth were pressed together, and she was glaring daggers between him and Midnight.

Midnight's reaction wasn't better, as she snarled at the other woman.

"What the hell is she doing here!?" She practically spat, not even addressing Mount Lady directly as she turned to Enso.

"You make it sound like I caused her to be here." Enso responded, complete seriousness in his voice. He had to be careful about what to say, as he knew based on remarks from both women that they were anything but friends.

Mount Lady scowled at the implications of how well-dressed Midnight was while being here with Enso, then turned to him.

"So what, you reject me just to go with this skank!? I didn't think you were actually into loose goods!" She hissed.

Well fuck. Even Enso had to think that was a vicious insult towards Midnight, yet he couldn't but feel somewhat amused by the irony of her statement.

And Midnight appropriately reacted to such an attack, shooting up from her seat with her hands slamming onto the table as she sent a heated glare back.

"Who the hell are you calling loose, you fat bimbo!?"

"You, you goddamn slut!" Mount Lady instantly returned. "Your whole costume shouts, 'fuck me!' There's no telling how many guys have already been between your legs!"

Enso was almost tempted to give the truth about that.

"Hey, I have the decency not to flaunt my body just to get cheap things or free food! I think you're the one more suited to have five dicks shoved up you at once!"

"You fucking bitch!"

The next thing Enso knew, he was watching a catfight between two heroes right next to his table. There was pulling, scratching, and even a few punches were thrown. It made him somewhat baffled that they didn't care about where they were or their status and chose to get physical.

"Hey! Stop pulling my dress! It'll rip!"

"Then let go of my hair!"

Okay, he should probably be a decent human being and do something. The few people in the restaurant were staring at them now, and Enso felt that there would be a lot more consequences if this went on any longer.

So closing his eyes with a sigh, Enso pushed his chair out and stood up while adjusting his tie.

Then, with a quirk activation of the Reaper of Worlds, he opened his eyes and released a dangerous pressure low enough that the rest of the room didn't feel it, but the two in front of him did.

Mount Lady and Midnight felt shivers down their spines as they stopped fighting mid-grip of each other's hair, turning to Enso and the thin aura around him.

"Enough of this, please." He calmly stated, now letting the aura fade.

Midnight pushed Mount Lady away and faced Enso with a baffled look. "D-Did you just use your quirk in public!?"

"You can not start lecturing me right after you just got in a fight with another hero like two children on the playground." Enso deadpanned.

He then noticed the rips in Midnight's dress that were starting to reveal more skin, making him grumble as he pulled off his suit jacket and put it on her, making her blink.

Midnight wondered about the action before looking down and noticing the areas torn by her chest.

"My dress!" It had been one of her favorites, which enraged her once more as she turned to Mount Lady. "You... Why did you have to come and ruin everything!? Whenever I'm enjoying myself with something, you always have to get damn jealous and mess it up for me!"

Mount Lady growled. "Don't you DAMN say that I'm the one who ruins or takes things from you! You've always been the one doing that ever since we were kids!"

"Wait, what?" Enso was genuinely surprised to hear this, his brain processing this information. "They... They knew each other growing up?"

"And it's even worse than that because you even hogged anything and everything for yourself! Including men, you fucking slut!" Mount Lady added.

"And what the fuck have you been doing ever since your debut!? Hogging the attention and glory whenever you get to the scene, stealing takedowns from other heroes, and then sticking out your ass like you're asking someone to stick it in!" Midnight retorted.

"Enough." Enso's dark tone cut through the air and made both heroines turn to him, getting chills once more.

Seeing their attention on him once more, he spoke.

"It's clear that the two of you have some sort of... history with one another. And although I don't know what issues the two of you have, arguing and fighting like-" He motioned at them. "-this, is both unprofessional and shameful. Just..."

He pinched the bridge of his nose with a sigh.

"Just why do the two of you hate each other anyway?"

And then he felt it.

The temperature dropped in the room. For a second, Enso assumed that a villain had gotten into the restaurant somehow, but he quickly realized that the coldness came from the look of pure hatred from Mount Lady, mixed with hurt and sorrow. Midnight didn't look much better, but she looked guilty and ashamed rather than angry anymore.

And there were even small tears starting to form in Mount Lady's eyes, the woman looking down with clenched teeth.

"She's the reason he's gone... It's all her fault!"

Midnight turned to her, "Yu-"

"Shut up!" She snapped as she turned to her. "He needed you more than ever! And you told him-!" She stopped herself with a growl, turning away as tears now went down her cheeks. "You don't deserve to be a hero when all you've ever done is sleep your way up! Were you trying to forget him, is that it!? To forget what you made him do!?"

Midnight's expression became a look of horror, and Enso could see in her eyes that she remembered something dreadful, something eating her from the inside. She didn't even seem to notice that now she was crying as well, ruining her makeup.

"We both agreed that we'd support him, we both agreed never to move on him, and yet you said- You made him-!" Angry tears were now waterfalling down Mount Lady's cheeks, the woman stumbling on her words now as her grief overwhelmed her.

She wiped her eyes as she took deep breaths.

"A-And the one fucking time I actually think I might've found someone that I can have, that maybe I could m-move on... You still end up fucking ruining it!"

She moved her arm off her now red eyes with one last hateful stare at Midnight.

"I'll never forgive you!"

And with that, she turned and ran off, leaving Midnight instinctively reaching out before freezing, mouth open and choking on her words.

Enso's eyes were wide open after that exchange, several questions coming to mind. The most prominent one being, who was him?

He turned to Midnight as she lowered her arm and gaze, the woman trembling as clear unwanted memories plagued her.

"Nemuri-"

The woman raised a hand and halted him.

"N-Not now... I-I..."

She sniffled, wiping her eyes.

"I-I'm sorry... I'll drop you back at my agency b-but... Right now, I just want to go... Please."

Midnight didn't even allow him to answer as she set off, her heels clicking across the room.

Enso followed her silently, knowing that she wasn't in any mood to speak. And he didn't know how he would even comfort her besides brutal and blunt words, something she didn't need right now.

They passed the receptionist's desk with the room's eyes on them, the few people seated not understanding what happened. It came to Enso that they didn't actually pay for their meals. But as he was taking out his wallet, the girl at the desk, Yuki, if he remembered correctly, shook her head with a sad gaze. Enso would generally be glad to get free food, but it was a bit too morbid to be glad about that.

He and Midnight were silent as they got back to the helicopter, where their pilot raised an eyebrow in concern but didn't say anything.

There wasn't a sound between them all the way back to her agency, but Enso had gently held the heroine's hand.

Whether she was too tired to pull away or appreciated the gesture, she didn't let go.

_______________________________________

~{6:46PM}~

"Catch, buddy!"

Ikari flung a green frisbee across the beach Izuku had cleaned up months ago. They watched as their new furry companion ran under the orange evening sun before jumping to catch the circular item in the air.

Emerald then circled back with the frisbee in his mouth, dropping the item happily in front of Izuku, who was seated on a towel on the sand. Izuku smiled but didn't pick up the item, letting Ikari do so instead.

"Good boy! Once more, go long!" The entity beamed, bringing the frisbee back as Emerald started running ahead to catch it once more.

Izuku watched with a gentle warmth in his heart. He was glad that Emerald and Ikari had gotten along fairly quickly in the last few days, as the former had been so afraid of the latter when they had first met. And not only that, but the pup's previous injuries were no longer present, as Izuku had taken him to Recovery Girl for both a check-up. The old woman had commented that she wasn't a veterinarian but had still done some basic tests on the animal and even healed him, which led to him right now being more energetic than ever.

And to think, he had almost been unable to take care of the pup in his home, as he had forgotten to tell his mother about him when he had called her about Ochako. Much to say, Inko had nearly fainted when he had shown her a wolf pup.

But being the kindest woman Izuku had ever known, he had been allowed to keep Emerald. It was probably because it was impossible to say no to the pup and her son's sad whimpers and hopeful eyes.

She was still highly uneasy about him raising a wolf, but Izuku insisted he would train him. And even without training, Emerald seemed very well behaved. He always listened attentively whenever someone was talking to him, he always seemed careful and aware of the environment he was in, and he even gave little nods of confirmation from time to time.

Wait a minute. Emerald seemed kind of... smart, didn't he? Or at least compared to any other common animal Izuku has ever seen.

Curious...

"Hey, partner!"

Izuku snapped out of his thoughts at Ikari's voice, turning his head to them.

"Yeah, Ikari-Eh?"

He froze when he saw not one but two wolf pups seated in front of him, one of which was a black silhouette with red eyes.

"Woof!"

Izuku stared for a good minute as both pups wagged their tails and stared up at him, seeming expectant.

"For a second, I thought I was hallucinating." He admitted, gaze somewhat blank. "I always seem to forget that you can change shapes like that."

The night-black pup then molded into the familiar Izuku-shaped form, forming a large open red grin.

"Better not forget, or it'll be that much easier to prank you!"

"Something tells me I gotta be more vigilant from now on..."

Izuku then felt something soft on his lap and looked down to see Emerald making himself comfortable, to which he smiled and started petting the pup.

"I can't believe we have another family member so soon!" Ikari cheered.

"I-I mean... even though mom said we can keep him, I-I don't know how long he'll actually be able to stay with us..." Izuku muttered.

But he saw that Ikari didn't seem to be listening to him, as he grabbed some shells scattered on the beach and brought them close. He then drew a circle into the sand with his finger before placing three large shells and a smaller shell into it, all standing up.

"Look boy, this is us!" Ikari said, ignoring Izuku's confused gaze in favor of the curious gaze from the pup.

He pointed at the three big shells.

"This is me, partner, and mom!" He then pointed at the small shell. "And this-!" He then pointed at Emerald. "-is you!" He repeatedly pointed from the small shell to Emerald.

Izuku sweatdropped. "Ikari, I don't think he understands you..."

But Emerald looked from Ikari to the diagram, curiously tilting his head and staring closely at the shells.

He then hopped off Izuku's lap, surprising the boy.

"E-Emerald?"

The pup looked at the shells closer before looking around on the beach.

Izuku and Ikari stared at Emerald as he started picking up shells with his mouth, then bringing them back before dropping them and going for more.

"What's he doing?" Ikari asked.

Emerald collected a few more shells before gathering them together, then picked up one of them and held it in his mouth.

Izuku's eyes widened as he saw Emerald use the shell to start making a line on the ground.

"Is he...?"

They watched as Emerald drew a squiggly circle that was a little too big, his footprints also mixing into it. When finished, he dropped the shell from his mouth before jumping to the rest. He then proceeded to drop more shells into the 'circle,' leaving a messy assortment of them in there.

When finished, there were seven shells of different shapes stuck in the ground, which Emerald sat beside.

Izuku stared at the messy structure with wide eyes.

"This..."

"Is this... his family?" Ikari said for him, floating close to the shells.

Izuku smiled, "I-I think it is! Look, there are seven of them! Two of them are probably his parents, while the rest are him and his siblings! I wonder if they all have green eyes as bright as his? Or if they all have black fur!?"

"But..." Ikari's eyes looked serious. "What happened to them?"

Izuku's smile fell, instantly recalling the attendant's words at the zoo.

"A group of hikers found the little guy in the woods outside of Musutafu. He was all by his lonesome, on the verge of death from bites we assume to be from another pack judging by the shapes. He apparently tried to run for a bit, but his body couldn't take it, and he ended up collapsing..."

"Didn't that lady at the zoo say that they were attacked?" Ikari voiced what his partner had been thinking.

A pit started forming in Izuku's stomach.

"B-But th-their pack must've been pretty tough, right? E-Even when injured, Emerald had a lot of energy, s-so the rest of them could've been like that and are fine, right?" He hoped.

But Emerald stared at the shells with an unreadable expression, no movement not even from his tail.

"E-Emerald?" Izuku called out to him.

The pup didn't seem to hear him, but he did move. He stood up on his legs and approached the circle he made, raising a paw.

Then he pushed one of the larger shells deeper into the ground, covering most of it in the sand.

Izuku stared in confusion at the action, which Ikari mimicked.

"Wh-Why did you...?"

Emerald then turned to the other shells, pushing another into the sand.

Then another.

And then another.

The more shells he buried, the more Izuku's eyes widened as a realization dawned on him, one which dropped a block of ice in his stomach. Ikari also realized the same thing, now dead silent with sad eyes.

Emerald only stopped burying shells when two were left, a small one and the second biggest one. The pup seemed to be going to bury the larger shell but pulled his paw back and laid down on the sand, his green eyes staring at the object with a sad whine.

Izuku felt like he was gonna cry.

"They're... they're gone?" Ikari whispered, staring at the sad sight before him.

Emerald let out another whine, unmoving as he stared at the second to last shell.

Izuku glanced at the shell Emerald was staring at.

"Not all of them... I think."

There was then complete silence. Emerald's gaze remained on the shell while Izuku's hands balled into fists. He couldn't even bear to think about how it'd feel to lose his mom, but this pup was the one who had lost nearly all of his family.

He took a deep breath to calm himself down before turning to Emerald.

"Is... Is it your mom that's alive?"

Emerald slowly turned his head to Izuku but gave no kind of answer.

"I... I only have my mom... She's the only family I have left ever since dad left..." Izuku said as he began to tear up. "I-I can't bear to think what would happen if I lost her... S-So I know it must be horrible for you to lose so many others..."

Emerald slightly raised his head towards Izuku, then stood up and stepped over to him. Izuku opened his arms and wrapped them around the pup as he came close, holding him tightly as a single tear went down his cheek.

"B-But if your mom is out there somewhere, I'm sure we'll find her. I-I'll find out the general area you lived in and look for her someday, I promise." He whispered, gently caressing the pup as he whined.

"Until then..." Izuku closed his eyes with a sad smile. "We'll be your family."

Ikari wrapped around the two with sad eyes, turning into a black blanket that held them. They were quiet for several minutes, the breeze and waves being the only sounds in the area. At one point, Emerald dozed off in Izuku's arms, breathing gently in his limbs, which Izuku admired.

"Hey, partner..." Ikari whispered to try not to wake the pup up.

"Yeah...?"

"Do you really think we can find his mother?"

Izuku glanced down at the black blanket with a confident smile.

"Yeah."

He looked at the sun on the horizon, taking a deep breath as the burning sunset matched the new resolve the boy had formed.

"I'll make sure we do."