Mid-August.
A little over a week had passed since the Kamino Incident, and only now was U.A. beginning to recover something that could be called a routine.
Classes had officially resumed, although "normalcy" was still far too generous a word. Police presence around the school had increased, new identification protocols had been implemented at the gates, and practically every vehicle entering the campus was checked more than once. After three attacks connected to the League of Villains, no one within the administration had any willingness left to rely solely on the fact that U.A. was considered one of the safest institutions in the country.
It was within this context that a measure that had already been under discussion for months finally stopped being merely a possibility.
Heights Alliance.
The large residential buildings had already been scattered throughout the campus for some time, built long before most of the students had ever imagined they would one day live there. U.A. had constructed and prepared them after the events in Hosu, initially as part of an expansion of the security measures surrounding Ryo Tanaka.
Until then, much of the enormous building reserved for Class 1-A had remained empty, turning that five-story dormitory into an absurdly large house for a single teenager. Now, after the attack on the training camp, U.A. had finally decided to put the full plan into practice.
Naturally, this required something the school could not simply ignore.
Parental permission.
During the previous days, Aizawa and the other teachers had spent much of their time traveling across the city and visiting families, explaining the new system, presenting the new security measures, and trying to convince parents who had just watched their children be attacked by villains for the third time since the beginning of the year.
Some visits were surprisingly easy.
At the Parr household, Aizawa had barely finished explaining that Dash would be living on campus before Bob crossed his arms and nodded.
"Makes sense."
Aizawa blinked.
Helen, sitting beside him, examined the documents.
"So there will be teachers present throughout the entire night?"
"Yes."
Helen looked at Bob.
And Bob looked at Helen.
"Alright."
Aizawa waited for a few seconds.
"...That's it?"
Bob shrugged.
"Our kids already grew up in a family of heroes. Honestly, knowing he's going to sleep just a few minutes away from professional teachers makes me feel better."
Helen raised a finger.
"But if another attack happens..."
Aizawa sighed.
"I know."
"I'm serious."
"So am I."
Dash, who had been secretly listening from behind the wall, silently celebrated before running back to his room when Helen turned her head toward the hallway.
The visit to the Kirishima household also ended relatively well.
Eijiro's parents had concerns, naturally, especially after the camp, but Kirishima himself had spent much of the conversation explaining why he wanted to continue. He didn't talk about glory, fame, or becoming a famous hero. He simply said that his friends would be there and that, if they were all entering dangerous times, he wanted to keep training so he could become someone capable of protecting others when the time came.
Aizawa realized where much of the boy's personality came from when his father simply placed a heavy hand on his shoulder and said that sounded like a decision worthy of a man.
His mother immediately replied that "being a man" did not mean having permission to die before turning twenty.
Even so, they signed.
The Midoriya household was another story.
Inko spent almost the entire conversation holding the documents without signing any of them.
She had heard about the USJ.
She had seen Hosu.
She had watched her son repeatedly come home injured.
And then she had received the news that villains had invaded a training camp whose location was supposed to be secret.
"I trusted U.A. with his safety."
Her voice trembled as she looked at All Might.
"And every time I try to tell myself it was an exception. That it won't happen again."
Midoriya remained seated beside her, unable to raise his head.
Inko tightened her grip on the papers.
"But it keeps happening."
All Might did not try to make excuses.
That conversation took far longer than the others.
In the end, what changed Inko's decision was not a promise that Izuku would never be in danger again. All Might would never have had the courage to lie like that. It was the promise that U.A. would change along with the situation, that the students would remain on campus under constant supervision, and that the school would no longer continue acting as though the previous attacks were events that could never happen again.
She signed.
By the end of that week, enough permissions had been gathered.
And that morning, for the first time, Heights Alliance was about to fulfill the purpose for which it had truly been designed.
From high above in U.A.'s main building, Nezu watched everything through a large window.
The dormitories scattered across the campus looked almost like little toy houses from that distance.
Normally, he would have found the sight pleasant.
But not today.
Nezu kept his paws resting on the windowsill, completely still, as he watched a bus enter through the gates and head toward the building assigned to Class 1-A.
His gaze slowly shifted toward one particular window.
Room 17.
He knew exactly where it was even from that distance.
For months, a single light in that part of the building had usually remained on during the night.
Nezu slowly exhaled.
"Did I make the right choice...?"
Before, that building had been something of a refuge for the boy. A place outside the compound where he could close a door and call something his own.
A home.
Now everyone else would be there too.
Under normal circumstances, Nezu would have considered that excellent news.
That morning, however, he could only think of one thing.
"...Will you really still be able to live there like this?"
The question disappeared into the empty office.
Down below, the bus doors opened.
Kaminari was one of the first to jump out carrying two suitcases, immediately staring at the building in front of them.
"HOLY CRAP!"
Sero stepped out behind him.
"Look at the size of that thing!"
Kaminari spread his arms.
"That's a dormitory?!"
Mina practically jumped down the last two steps of the bus and spun around once she reached the ground.
"We're some really lucky kids!"
Jiro walked past her carrying a suitcase.
"You say that now. Wait until you find out who's cleaning all of it."
Mina stopped.
"...Don't ruin it."
The other students gradually began getting off, each carrying suitcases, boxes, and whatever they had considered essential for starting to live inside the school. Some parents had sent so much stuff that it looked like their children were leaving the country.
Aizawa waited near the entrance steps.
As always, he looked as though he had slept less than any human being reasonably should.
"Gather up."
The conversations took a few seconds to die down.
"I said gather up."
This time, they obeyed.
Aizawa waited until everyone was standing in front of him before continuing.
"First, I'm very glad that all of you managed to get permission from your guardians to participate in the new residential system."
Dash's hand rose from the middle of the crowd.
"Almost everyone!"
Aizawa looked at the blond, who slowly lowered his hand.
"Takeda still isn't here."
Kirishima, who had already noticed his absence since getting on the bus, looked around again as though Ryo might simply show up late.
"That's true."
He frowned.
"He still hasn't shown up."
Mina looked behind her.
"Wait..."
Kaminari started counting people.
"He wasn't on the bus?"
"No," Jiro replied.
"Maybe he's coming later?"
Dash pulled his phone from his pocket.
No new messages.
His expression began to change.
"He knew it was today."
Kirishima stepped closer.
"Maybe he's running late."
The conversation slowly began to die as everyone turned toward Aizawa.
Aizawa let out a heavy sigh when he saw twenty pairs of eyes waiting for an explanation.
"Do you really need me to say it?"
Dash froze.
Aizawa put his hands into his pockets.
"After everything that's happened..."
He left the sentence unfinished because he didn't need to continue.
Dash's face fell.
"...No."
Kirishima immediately looked at him.
"It can't be..."
A few meters behind them, Midoriya's eyes also widened.
"After the kidnapping..."
He remembered the news reports.
"Could his parents have refused?"
Midoriya looked back toward the building.
"Does that mean Takeda isn't going to stay with us anymore?"
Mina had completely stopped smiling.
Kaminari put away the phone he had just taken out to send a message.
Dash kept staring at the ground.
Aizawa clapped his hands loudly.
"I know you're confused."
He looked at them for a few seconds.
"And I know some of you are worried about him."
His gaze briefly passed over Dash and Kirishima.
"But standing around the entrance speculating isn't going to answer anything."
Dash curled his fingers.
Aizawa continued.
"When there's something you need to know, you'll know. For now, focus on what's happening here."
He turned and started walking up the stairs.
"I'm going to give you an overview of the building, explain the rules, show you the common areas, and then you'll be able to take your things to your rooms."
Behind him, no one moved immediately.
Half the class looked toward the dormitory while the other half looked at each other.
The absence of a single person suddenly made that enormous building feel much emptier.
Aizawa opened the door.
"Are you coming, or are you planning to live in the parking lot?"
That finally got some of them moving.
Kaminari picked up his suitcases again.
Mina followed more slowly than before.
Midoriya cast one last glance toward the upper windows.
Kirishima remained beside Dash.
The speedster hadn't moved.
"Hey."
Dash looked at him.
Kirishima placed a hand on his shoulder.
"Come on."
Dash looked at the building one more time.
"...Yeah."
Kirishima grabbed one of his suitcases before he could complain, and the two of them started walking.
Dash kept his head lowered as he climbed the stairs beside the redhead, entering Heights Alliance along with the rest of the class.
And the change of scenery was enough to distract most of the class almost immediately.
The main hall was enormous.
The floor shone from how clean it was, large windows allowed daylight to illuminate practically the entire space and, just ahead, the common area opened up into different sections. Sofas occupied part of the living room, a large television was mounted on the wall and, farther back, there was a long dining table accompanied by a fully equipped kitchen.
Kaminari stopped in the middle of the entrance.
"This is ours?"
"No," Aizawa replied without even looking at him. "We built all of this for you to admire before going back home."
Kaminari fell silent.
Sero walked past him.
"Smart question."
"I was just making sure."
Aizawa kept walking.
"Each class will have its own building. This one belongs to Class 1-A."
He pointed toward the two main hallways.
"The right side is reserved for the girls. The left is for the boys. This division also applies to the facilities wherever necessary."
Mina immediately looked at Hagakure.
"So officially, we have a giant house."
"A giant house all to ourselves!"
Jiro walked past the two of them.
"With Aizawa probably appearing out of nowhere every time we do something wrong."
"Exactly," Aizawa said.
Jiro froze.
"...I was joking."
"Yeah, and I wasn't."
Aizawa led the group farther inside.
"The first floor is entirely dedicated to common areas."
He pointed toward the living room.
"Here you have space to relax and socialize."
Then toward the dining area.
"Dining room and kitchen."
He continued walking through the space.
"The baths are farther back, separated by gender, as are the laundry rooms."
The class followed while looking around at everything.
Even Bakugo seemed to be examining the place, although he would probably rather blow someone up than admit he was impressed.
Mina was practically spinning as she walked.
"We have a laundry room!"
Kaminari looked at her.
"You've never seen a washing machine?"
"That's not the point!"
She dramatically gestured around them.
"It's the feeling of independence!"
Jiro raised an eyebrow.
"Do you know how to use one?"
Mina stopped.
"...That doesn't matter right now."
Kirishima laughed before looking at Dash.
"This is pretty amazing, huh?"
Dash looked up before his gaze quickly swept across the enormous room.
"Yeah."
Kirishima waited for more of a reaction, but got nothing else from Dash's answer.
The redhead's smile slowly faded.
"Hey, he's probably just running late."
Dash merely nodded.
"Yeah..."
His tone made it clear he didn't really believe that.
Kirishima opened his mouth to try to say something else, but gave up.
He didn't know exactly what he could say.
Especially because he himself was starting to suspect the worst.
"Let's go upstairs."
Aizawa's voice drew the class's attention again.
The group followed the stairs up to the second floor.
There, the main hallway once again split into two directions.
Aizawa pointed to both sides.
"The rooms begin on this floor and continue on the floors above. Each floor has four rooms designated for the girls and four for the boys."
He put his hands in his pockets.
"Each of you will have an individual room."
He opened the door to one of the empty rooms.
The class immediately gathered around.
The interior was considerably larger than some of them had expected. A bed was already set up against the wall, accompanied by a small desk, built-in closets, and enough space for each student to personalize the room however they wanted.
"Every room comes with basic furniture," Aizawa explained. "You can use it, replace some pieces with your own things, or rearrange the space, as long as you don't destroy anything."
Bakugo looked at him.
Aizawa looked back.
"Especially you."
"Tch."
"They also have air conditioning, a private bathroom, a small refrigerator, closets, and a balcony."
Aizawa let them look around the room for a few minutes before returning to the hallway.
"You'll be able to inspect your own rooms yourselves, since the rest of today will be dedicated exclusively to moving in."
Some students immediately seemed more excited.
"So there won't be any classes today."
Mina raised both arms.
"YES!"
Aizawa looked at her.
Mina lowered her arms.
"...Respectfully."
"Tomorrow we'll talk about the new rules, routine, security, and how classes will work from now on."
He started walking away.
"For now, you're dismiss—"
He stopped as he remembered something.
"...Almost forgot."
Aizawa partially turned toward them.
"Since you'll be living on campus, there will be someone responsible for supervising this dormitory."
Momo tilted her head.
"A supervisor?"
"Yes. That person will be responsible for monitoring the building, helping with everyday problems, and making sure you don't turn this place into a zoo."
Jiro looked at Kaminari, who pointed at himself after noticing her stare.
"Why did you look at me?"
"Instinct."
Sero started laughing.
Aizawa continued.
"Be respectful to the dormitory supervisor. You'll probably meet him soon."
With that, he finally turned to leave.
"You're dismissed."
The silence after Aizawa left lasted approximately three seconds before the building exploded into activity.
Suitcases began being dragged through the hallways, students ran around looking for their room numbers, and arguments immediately broke out over who had ended up near whom.
Mina and Hagakure disappeared upstairs with Uraraka.
Iida unsuccessfully tried to organize the move efficiently.
Bakugo carried his own things without accepting help from absolutely anyone.
Not long afterward, Dash, Kaminari, and Sero reached the fifth floor.
Kaminari walked down the hallway, repeatedly looking at the numbers on the doors.
"Fifteen..."
Sero checked the paper he had received.
"I'm farther ahead."
"Sixteen..."
Dash followed them silently a few steps behind, still looking down.
"Where are you...?"
That was when Kaminari stopped.
"Hm?"
Sero nearly walked into his back.
"What is it?"
Kaminari pointed toward one of the doors that was slightly open, with the metallic number 17 on it.
"Someone left this one open."
Sero shrugged.
"Probably the people who set up the furniture."
Kaminari approached it.
"Do you think all the rooms are really the same?"
"We just saw one."
"I want to compare."
"You just want to snoop."
Kaminari placed his hand on the door, slowly opening it only for an intense light to hit him directly in the face.
"UGH!"
He was forced to shield his eyes with his hands.
Sero stepped in right behind him, only for the exact same thing to happen to him.
"Damn!"
The sunlight poured almost directly through the open balcony, filling the entire room with a warm glow.
When their eyes finally adjusted, the two immediately realized something was wrong.
That room wasn't empty.
The bed was already perfectly made with fresh sheets.
The bookshelf near the wall was filled with books and manga.
Small personal items were scattered across the shelves, such as action figures and a LEGO Death Star for some reason.
The desk was occupied by a high-end gaming setup, with two monitors, a keyboard, a headset, and other equipment organized in an almost obsessive manner.
Kaminari blinked.
"...This room already has an owner."
Sero slowly stepped inside.
"But we only got here a little while ago."
Dash finally raised his head when he heard that.
But neither of them was looking inside the room anymore.
They were looking at the balcony.
Someone was there.
An ornate wooden chair was positioned facing the view of the campus.
The sunlight fell directly over the figure sitting in it, shining so brightly that, for a few seconds, it practically concealed the details of his face.
The wind slowly moved his black hair.
His eyes remained closed.
His head rested comfortably against the back of the chair.
And his right hand held a coffee mug resting calmly against his stomach.
Kaminari's eyes widened as he brought his hands to the sides of his head.
"How..."
Sero froze as well, bringing his hands to his face.
"No way..."
The light seemed almost heavenly.
The wind moved the curtains.
The coffee gave off a small amount of steam.
For some absurd reason, even the silence seemed to be cooperating.
They were stunned by his radiance.
Dash finally appeared behind them.
"What are you two doin—"
He froze the moment his eyes landed on the balcony.
Dash's eyes began to light up before a huge smile spread across his face.
"TAKEDA!"
Ryo frowned at the noise.
He blinked slowly, still clearly half asleep, before turning his face toward the door and seeing the three of them standing there staring at him.
"...Oh."
Ryo remained silent for a few seconds before slowly raising the mug toward them.
"Good morning."
----------------------------------------
One week ago...
The room remained silent after Yuuko's request.
"Because I can't stand going through this again..."
Ryo kept looking at her.
His mother was sitting on the bed, her hands clenched tightly in her lap and her eyes still red from crying.
He lowered his gaze and let out a quiet, defeated sigh.
For a few seconds, Yuuko believed he was considering the proposal.
"No."
She blinked.
"...What?"
Ryo raised his head.
"I don't want to leave U.A."
Yuuko went completely still.
"Ryo..."
"Sorry."
"Why?"
Ryo opened his mouth, but she continued before he could answer.
"Why do you still want to go back after everything that's happened?"
Her voice began to rise.
"You were attacked. You were kidnapped.. You faced criminals who wanted to use you for God knows what!"
She pointed toward the bedroom door.
"And you still want to go back to that place?"
Ryo closed his eyes for a moment.
"That's not just a place."
Ryo looked toward the walls of the complex beyond the door.
"Do you know what it was like for me to live here?"
Yuuko frowned.
"When I was younger, this place was practically my entire world."
He gestured vaguely outside.
"Laboratories. Hallways. Doctors. Tests. Training. More tests."
Yuuko lowered her gaze slightly.
"I had you."
A small smile appeared on his face.
"And that made everything bearable until you fell into a coma after that incident."
Yuuko froze.
Ryo continued before she could speak.
"I woke up and did the same things every day."
Ryo began counting on his fingers.
"Exams."
"Training."
"Tests."
"Sleep."
"Then all over again."
Yuuko tightened her grip on the sheets.
"Ryo..."
"I stopped wanting to do anything."
His voice was strangely calm.
"I didn't want to talk. I didn't want to go out. I didn't want to train."
He shrugged.
"Sometimes I didn't even want to get up."
Yuuko's eyes widened.
"You..."
Ryo looked away.
"I became depressed, Mom."
The word struck her like a blow.
Yuuko brought a hand to her mouth.
"Why didn't anyone tell me...?"
"You were in a coma."
She had no answer.
"When you woke up, I wouldn't have told you this because you already had too much to deal with."
Ryo exhaled.
"And I didn't want to put even more stress on you."
Yuuko felt her eyes begin to sting again.
"Ryo..."
"I'm not telling you this to make you feel bad."
He moved closer to her.
"There was nothing you could've done."
The irony of the sentence made Yuuko lower her head.
"I just want you to understand why I don't want to go back to that life."
Yuuko remained quiet.
"When I started at U.A., I didn't even want to be there."
Ryo let out a small laugh.
"I thought everyone was annoying... until I started liking them."
He sat down beside his mother.
"Dash came into my life and basically decided he was going to be my best friend before I could complain."
Yuuko immediately remembered the blond boy who appeared in some of Ryo's stories.
"Kirishima started inviting me to do anything involving a group whether I wanted to or not."
Ryo continued.
"Mina somehow manages to turn any normal moment into a party."
His smile grew.
"There was this one time she tried to teach Kaminari how to dance and he fell flat on his face."
Yuuko let out a small laugh through her nose.
"Midoriya takes notes about everything. Absolutely everything. I think he'd have a notebook about how to breathe if he could."
"He sounds very focused."
"He is."
Ryo nodded.
"But he's also kind of crazy."
Yuuko raised an eyebrow.
"Says the boy who faced those villains alone."
"...Fair point."
He laughed.
As time passed, Yuuko began to realize that the more Ryo talked about his friends, the more the tension she felt began to disappear.
And she found herself smiling without even noticing.
Ryo continued telling her little stories about training, lunches, and even stupid arguments.
Arguments between Bakugo and practically any living thing capable of speech.
Kaminari doing something stupid.
Mina spreading gossip.
Dash showing up at any given moment in his life.
Small things.
Completely insignificant compared to the battles he had faced so far.
After a few minutes, he fell silent.
His smile faded.
"Mom..."
Yuuko looked at him.
"You're my family."
Ryo took one of her hands.
"My mother. The only bridge I had for almost my entire life."
Yuuko squeezed his fingers.
"But now..."
He looked down.
"...I have a family out there too."
Yuuko's eyes began to fill with tears again.
"Dash, Kirishima, Midoriya, Pony... all of them."
Ryo took a deep breath.
"I can't just disappear and leave everyone behind because something bad happened."
Ryo squeezed her hand.
"Just like I didn't abandon you when you were in a coma..."
Ryo looked directly at her.
"...that's the same reason I'm not going to abandon them now."
Yuuko closed her eyes and began to cry again.
Ryo pulled her into a hug before she could say anything.
She immediately held him tightly.
"I-I'm sorry... I didn't know about any of this..."
"I know. I know..."
Yuuko took a deep breath against his shoulder, tightening the embrace even more.
"You really changed a lot while I was asleep."
Ryo closed his eyes.
"...Are you proud of me?"
Yuuko slowly pulled away and held his face between her hands.
"Very."
----------------------------------------
Not long after, practically all of Class 1-A was gathered on the first floor again.
Word of Ryo's presence had spread through the dorm faster than any official announcement ever could.
All it took was Kaminari running down the stairs shouting that Takeda was there for half the class to abandon their luggage wherever it was.
Ryo was now sitting on the armrest of one of the couches in the common room, still holding the same mug while his classmates surrounded him.
"So you got here before us?" Mina asked.
Ryo nodded.
"Yeah."
Kaminari pointed at him.
"How much earlier?"
Ryo took a sip of his coffee.
"Earlier."
"That's not an answer."
"It's the answer you got."
Kirishima was standing near Dash, happy to see that the blond boy had finally gotten all the energy back in his face.
He let out a relieved sigh.
"Dude, I really thought your parents weren't gonna let you come."
Ryo stopped with the mug a few inches away from his mouth.
"...Ah."
Dash turned toward him.
"So did I."
Ryo scratched his cheek.
"About that..."
Kirishima tilted his head.
"What?"
Before Ryo could continue, footsteps came from the entrance.
"Everyone!"
Jiro's voice caught the room's attention.
She walked in carrying a bag over one shoulder.
Momo was right beside her with a small suitcase.
"The dorm supervisor has already arrived," Momo informed them. "We ran into her while coming back from the bus after getting more luggage."
Jiro pointed behind her.
"So I thought I should warn you guys before—"
She stopped the moment her eyes landed on Ryo.
"Takeda?!"
Momo froze as well.
"Oh! I'm glad you're here!"
Ryo raised his mug.
"Hi."
Jiro blinked.
"We didn't see you arrive outside..."
Mina excitedly pointed at Ryo.
"He says he got here earlier!"
Jiro raised an eyebrow.
"How much earlier?"
Ryo drank more coffee.
"...Earlier."
Jiro frowned.
"Why does everyone keep asking that?"
A voice came from behind Jiro and Momo, making the rest of the class turn toward the woman standing behind them.
She wore simple formal clothes, a light-colored long-sleeved shirt accompanied by a gray blazer and matching gray pants. Her black hair was short and carefully arranged, glasses rested on her face, and her eyes observed the entire room with a mixture of curiosity and kindness.
Noticing everyone looking at her, she smiled and raised one hand.
"Good morning."
The class responded almost automatically.
"Good morning!"
She stepped fully inside.
"Mr. Aizawa has probably already explained that you would have someone responsible for overseeing the dorm."
Iida immediately straightened himself.
"Yes, ma'am! He already informed us about your arrival! It is a pleasure to meet you!"
The woman looked briefly surprised by the volume of his response before smiling again.
"Then I suppose I should introduce myself."
She placed one hand over her chest.
"My name is Yuuko Takeda, Class 1-A's Dorm Supervisor."
A few students nodded.
"It will be a pleasure looking after all of you from now on."
Midoriya bowed politely.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Takeda-san!"
Momo did the same.
"We hope we won't cause too much trouble."
Kirishima looked at her.
"She seems nice."
Kaminari moved a little closer to Sero and murmured:
"Dude..."
Sero turned his head to see Kaminari smiling in a very disrespectful way.
"We seriously got lucky getting a hottie as our supervisor~"
Sero immediately drove his elbow into Kaminari's ribs.
"Ow!"
"Don't start saying weird stuff first thing in the morning."
"It was a compliment!"
"Keep it to yourself."
Yuuko apparently hadn't heard him.
Or decided to pretend she hadn't.
She continued smiling at the students while Iida was already starting to ask about schedules, cleaning, and organization rules.
That was when Kirishima brought a hand to his chin, thoughtful.
His eyes narrowed.
"...Wait a second."
Tokoyami looked at him.
"What is it?"
Kirishima discreetly pointed toward Yuuko.
"Her last name is Takeda."
"Yes."
"Takeda..."
"That's what you just repeated."
Kirishima slowly turned his head toward Ryo.
"Isn't that the same—"
"Yeah."
Ryo answered before he could finish.
"...Yeah?"
Ryo nodded.
"Yeah."
Dash looked from Ryo to Yuuko.
Mina did the same.
Kaminari frowned.
And Kirishima finally put the pieces together.
"Wait..."
Ryo pointed his thumb toward Yuuko.
"She's my mom."
The entire room fell silent as the whole class turned toward Ryo, and then toward Yuuko, who was still standing there smiling.
"EEEEEEEEH?!"
The collective reaction almost made the windows shake.
Kaminari pointed at Ryo.
"SHE'S YOUR MOM?!"
Mina placed both hands on her cheeks.
"THE SUPERVISOR IS YOUR MOM?!"
Midoriya's eyes widened.
"Takeda-san is Takeda's mother?!"
The color started draining from Kaminari's face.
"...I just called Takeda's mom a hottie."
Sero placed a hand on his shoulder.
"It was nice knowing you."
Kaminari slowly turned to stare into the abyss (Ryo), only for the abyss to stare right back at him.
He started sweating.
"Yeah, GGs."
Ryo only let out a tired sigh in response, turning toward his mother.
"Even after everything, she still didn't want to leave my side. So, after a long negotiation with Nezu, she managed to come here with me."
Yuuko noticed her son's gaze on her and raised one hand, making a peace sign with her fingers.
She closed her eyes with a wide smile and stuck out her tongue.
"Looks like she still wants to try making up for all the time she spent without taking care of me. But, in this way..."
Ryo lowered his head.
"...I don't know if I'm gonna survive."
Yuuko opened her eyes again and looked at the twenty students scattered around the room.
She felt something gently tighten in her chest at the sight of so many people surrounding her son who cared about him.
"So this is what you were talking about..."
This was his other family.