"Okay kids! I am back and ready to teach you punks!" Stein yelled as he wheeled his way back to the classroom.

"Um...Mr. Stein?" One student raised his hand carefully. "What about the bird?"

"Oh right. We were gonna dissect the bird." Stein sighed before unstrapping the bird from the table. The bird looked on in hope as it attempted to flee, but was soon brought back to despair as Stein grabbed it by the neck and threw it into the cage again.

"To be honest I lost interest so we'll have to resume another time." He yawned as he looked over the students. "So I believe something else would be far more exciting. A special class project! Inspired by one of our new students here!" He said, diverting attention to Liz, Patty, Kid, and Izuku.

"Mr. Stein!" Tsubaki raised her hand in concern. "Does this have something to do with what happened in the courtyard?"

"Why yes it does! You see kids, while you have already been set in pairs of weapons and meisters there will be times where you will need to be more flexible. Ergo, meisters like me and Midoriya here possess uniquely flexible souls that allow us to more easily wield weapons. As shown earlier when he and Tsubaki performed a soul resonance against Kid."

"What is this project supposed to do with us then?"

"Well starting off you all will switch partners. An example of this would be Soul partnering with Black Star for the time being. Keep in mind when deciding who you will be switching with may not be compatible. So be sure to take this seriously and partner with someone you can get along with."

"I will only be able to do this assignment so long as I can remain symmetrical, Sir." Kid stated simply while his partners sighed defeat.

"Very well then. I have a list of weapons here you can look over." Stein said as he gave a short list to the principal's child. "This shouldn't be too hard for you given you are a grim reaper but try not to drive someone mad. Now for the rest of you, I'll give you all ten minutes."

Soon the room buzzed with life as the students filtered into their typical friend groups. Tusbaki looked down towards Izuku with a worried expression as she thought about how this would affect him.

"Tsubaki." Stein spoke again, gaining her attention. "For now I think it would be best if you continue working with Izuku here." He explained, making the girl sigh in relief.

"Yes Sir." She smiled as she made her way towards Izuku, who stood off to the side away from most of the class. "Hey, Izuku. Looks like we'll be working together a lot more now." She smiled, Izuku nodding in response. A wave of calm washed over him as he relaxed, much to her delight.

"Hey, Tsubaki. Izuku." Maka came up to them, accompanied surprisingly by Death the Kid's partners, the Thompson sisters.

"Hello Maka. I see you found some partners quickly enough." She giggled slightly.

"Yeah, well these two didn't really give me much of a choice." She sighed in defeat as the younger sister tried to make her way to Izuku.

"H-hey..." She softly greeted him, his demeanor shifting uncomfortably as she stepped towards him. "A-are you okay?" She asked shakily, receiving no response from the boy. Disheartening her mood.

"He's not really one for conversation." Tsubaki stated as she stood more closely to Izuku, who eased into her presence as she took his hand comfortingly.

"That tracks I guess." Liz chuckled nervously, trying not to stare at the masked boy too hard. "Anyway, you two seem awfully close considering how long you've known each other."

"It is a bit mind boggling." Maka cupped her chin in contemplation as she watched the duo before them. "Did something happen the night you went home with him?"

"I...." She looked over to the boy, as if mentally asking for permission. Izuku said nothing but nodded as she gripped her hand firmer. "I'll tell you later, Maka." She said in a low tone, making her friend worried.

"Alright students! Time is up." Stein called out with a clap of his hands, taking a long puff of his cigarette despite being in a school for children. "Now, what this little project is gonna teach you kids is all about team effort and such. Compatibility is key here so remember to take the following week to get to know your temporary partners. By the end of the week those who have succeeded will be sent on an experimental mission to complete. So head home and pack some essentials or whatever for this long sleepover. And most importantly have fun!" He said before wheeling out of the room again.

*Ding-Dong**Dong-Ding*

The bell sounded, alerting the students that they were now free to go home. Soul and Black Star being the fastest one out of there, probably to get a good head start on the assignment. Or just to go goof off like a couple of dinguses but who cares? The students started filing away for the day. Save for one stripe haired teen who dragged himself to a corner.

"What's up with him?" Maka questioned as she stared at the heir of Death who cried in the corner.

"I suppose the prissy rich boy over there couldn't find anyone to partner with."

"That makes sense actually. With you all here now the ratio of weapons to meisters is a bit uneven." Tsubaki surmised with a small giggle. "We better get going now though. We gotta get a few things situated over at Izuku's place."

"Oh? So you'll be staying with him over the week then?" Maka questioned with raised brow.

"Yeah. It was actually decent timing since I offered to help him set up a few things in his apartment." She smiled, walking with Izuku.

"Hey, maybe you two can help us train then." Liz spoke up. "Since you two are already so close, maybe you can give us a few pointers here and there."

"Please." Patty spoke up with hopeful eyes. Trying to use a power that never failed her before when it came to her sister. Puppy-dog eyes.

"I mean....Sure I guess. Does that sound alright to you, Izuku?" She asked the boy, who shrugged wordlessly. "Okay then. Maybe we can meet up tomorrow then."

"Sure. Anyway, we gotta get some stuff from our place anyhow." Liz said as she and Maka started getting ahead of them.

"Bye bye!" Patty yelled back. Her gaze lingering on izuku for a brief second before she started catching up with the other two.

"See you all tomorrow then!" Tsubaki waved them off, leaving Tsubaki and Izuku by themselves. "C'mon then. I gotta stop by my place for some clothes too. You go on ahead and I'll meet up at your place?"

Izuku said nothing as he simply gripped her hand firmly. She continued to smile at him as she used her free hand to cup his cheek carefully. Speaking wordlessly between the two as they started walking again.

"Itr shouldn't take long so we should probably stop by the shops and find something for dinner." Tsubaki said as interlocked his arm with hers. "Anything in particular that sounds good to you?"

"............." Silence continued as he took a long shaky breath. "K-katsudon."

"That sounds nice." She smiled as the two kept on walking.

~Elsewhere~

The blonde trio, consisting of Maka, Liz and Patty, were now making their way downtown, walking fast as faces passed and home bound. Maka's home at least, while carrying a few boxes worth of things. Patty balancing one precariously on the top of her head for some reason. Still looking on with a solemn expression as she silently followed the two other girls.

"Is she okay?" Maka whispered to the elder Thompson, who let out a small sigh.

"She's upset about something that happened this morning." She said, glancing back at her sister who just stared down at the box of essentials she packed herself, and by that she means tons of sweets that one would eat as comfort foods. Conveniently listening to music on her earphones that kept her from hearing the conversation.

"Was it something Soul or Black Star did?" Maka asked, letting out a slightly annoyed huff. Wondering which dictionary she's gonna need when she next sees the dumbass twins.

"No, it was just....." Liz started, letting out a small sigh. "It was the masked kid."

"Midoriya? I doubt he did something, he didn't even talk to us the other night."

"He didn't do anything. Patty can get pretty excited at times and she got really close to him." She began, a small smile growing on her features thinking about her sister's childish behavior. "We were watching your guys' lessons the other night when you were fighting Sid and Stein. Patty was actually really interested in how Midoryia was fighting."

"I can see that. It must've taken him years to learn that style. That's a kind determination you can admire actually."

"Yeah. It's just, when Patty saw him she got really excited and practically ran at him. I didn't really think much of it until I saw his reaction." Liz faltered for a moment before she continued. "He jumped back and clutched at his scarf, he looked like he was expecting an attack. He was...He was shaking. He looked so.....terrified."

Silence ensued between the two as they continued on their trek. Maka hesitantly looked over at Patty who still disconnected herself from them. She knew that there was something strange about the boy but to think of him as scared was a shock.

'He seemed so calm during the test.' Maka thought back to when he saved her and Soul from Black Star's trap. Of when he protected her from Sid's sneak attack. Even when they were facing Stein, she couldn't sense anything like that from him. 'But then again, what do I really know about him?' She thought to herself, worry making its way into her thoughts.

"And it really got to Patty because...It just reminded her so much of back then." Her breath hitched as she finished her sentence. A worried expression making itself known as her pace started to slow.

"Stein told us about how your lives were before meeting Kid." Maka said, startling her a bit.

"Thanks." Liz smiled softly as she patted the shorter girl on the head. "And, I'm sorry."

"What for?" Maka tilted her head in confusion.

"I'm feeling a bit guilty is all." Liz sighed calmly as she stared down at the ground. "I figured since you and that black haired girl were friends, maybe I'd be able to get Patty closer to Midoriya. Try and make amends."

"I don't mind that much. The thought of that actually crossed my mind when you two approached me. I mean, you two are weapons partnered with a grim reaper after all." Maka awkwardly smiled as she let out a small laugh. "Besides, I think Tsubaki will be able to help you out more in that regard anyway."

"Seeing how close those two seem to be, it wouldn't hurt to ask."

"Still kind of curious how they got so close. They haven't really known each other that long."

"Maybe we'll find out when we start working together tomorrow. Until then, let's just try and make the most of this."

"Yeah." Maka smiled a bit before tapping her shoulder. "And I know I can't really imagine what it is you two had to go through back then and frankly it isn't even my business. But if I can help at all let me know, okay?"

"Thank you, Maka. That really means a lot." She smiled, before she started to pick up the pace. "Let's hurry up and get to your place. Probably should stop by the shops too. I wanna make Patty's favorite tonight, if that's alright with you."

"That's fine, but they close soon so we better run." Maka giggled as she started picking up the pace. Soon breaking out in a sprint and leaving them behind

"Wait up!" Liz soon began following her, much to the younger sister's confusion. But she simply shrugged before joining in on the race.

'I wonder if he likes cookies?' Patty started thinking to herself while she began running after them