3

“And so, for the students’ home visits on New Year’s Eve, each will be accompanied by either one of you or another pro hero.”

Principal Nezu spoke from within the warm and cozy confines of Shota Aizawa’s neck wrapping, and the teachers of U.A. nodded in agreement. They were seated in the conference room for the staff meeting marking the end of the second school term, which meant that the teachers were just moments away from their own winter breaks.

The dormitory system had been implemented because the educators suspected there might be a mole at U.A. High. A series of information leaks had led them to guess that the League of Villains had somehow infiltrated the school, and keeping the students on campus at all times seemed like a decent way to smoke out the potential spy. There’d been zero suspicious activity for months, however, so Nezu had suggested that the students be allowed to spend New Year’s with their families, at the very least.

The students hadn’t balked about being forced into dorms; from the moment they’d gotten into U.A., they’d all been prepared to go the extra mile if it meant becoming heroes. Nevertheless, they were still high schoolers. No longer little kids, not yet adults, but rather somewhere within that brief interstice we call adolescence, hurtling toward the rest of their lives. There were times when they missed their parents dearly, and surely their parents occasionally felt the sting of empty-nest syndrome. The teachers had once been that age themselves, so they felt no reason to object to home visits for a single night.

“And on that note, let’s assign guardians to students …”

Just as Nezu began speaking again, several of the teachers started to stand, thinking that “on that note” signaled the end of the meeting. Realizing that they weren’t free just yet, the would-be leavers sat back down with murmurs of “Sorry …”

“Really, now?” chided the principal. “How many escape attempts does that make?”

These particular teachers had prematurely risen from their chairs three times now.

“C’mon, we’ve all got, erm, plans and stuff! It’s a real holy night, y’know!” said Present Mic, one of the usual suspects.

“I suppose I’m no match for an argument of that caliber,” quipped Nezu sarcastically. “But even you, Aizawa? I’m shocked.”

“I have to bring Eri to class A’s Christmas party,” said Aizawa, his usual listless expression changing not one iota. The name he spoke instantly lit up the room.

“Yes, how splendid!” said the principal. “Midoriya is a member of class A, yes? His presence will be sure to help that girl relax and enjoy herself.”

“Little Eri has been looking forward to this party!” said Thirteen, beaming.

“And she’s been wearing the Santa outfit that those kids gave her since the crack of dawn,” added Midnight with a cheery smile. Present Mic and Vlad King were also grinning, and even Ectoplasm’s mouth curved into a smile underneath his mask.

It had been a few months since Eri had begun living in the teachers’ dorm, and by this point, her presence was like chicken soup for their souls. As educators, they were all rather fond of children to start with, and how could they not be moved by her tragic tale, her brave determination to accept her Quirk and move forward in life, her innocence and complete lack of guile?

Principal Nezu’s beady eyes darted around the room at his staff, who were acting a bit like children themselves. But at the mention of the party Eri was so looking forward to, he decided to cut the meeting short and save the “Top Ten Morning Assemblies” presentation for another time. Though Nezu’s heart wasn’t quite human, it had still been won over by the little girl.

“On that note, let’s bring this meeting to a close. You may decide who escorts which student based on geographic convenience. Dismissed.”

The teachers chanted “Thank you, sir” in unison and began to stand.

“Ah, one more thing!” said Nezu, as he leaped out of Aizawa’s collar. “Keep in mind that as of today, we’ve bolstered security measures …”

But his warning fell on distracted ears.

“Where do I put my big sword?” asked Eri, staring with a furrowed brow at the absolute whopper of a sword in Aizawa’s hands. They had just left class A’s Christmas party, where she had randomly drawn Fumikage Tokoyami’s contribution to the class gift exchange. Despite the look on her face, her voice was tinged with joy.

“Too dangerous near the door, cuz it might get knocked over,” murmured Eri. “Maybe near my bed? But that could be really scary if it falls over at night when I’m sleeping.”

The sword was longer than Eri was tall, and she knew it would be hard to keep it balanced and propped up. Aizawa decided to offer a suggestion.

“If you’re not sure how to display it, I could hold on to it for you?”

Eri’s jaw dropped for a second, but then she shook her head.

“Nuh-uh. It’s my Christmas present.”

Her apparent delight wasn’t so much about the enormous sword itself, but rather the fact that she had gotten a present at all. Through that lens, it was only natural that the gift had to be displayed somewhere in her room.

“Right,” said Aizawa, who instantly understood Eri’s feelings based on the sparkle in her eyes.

“I dunno, though …” she said, looking up at the night sky. Seeing her face in profile like that led Aizawa to cast his gaze upward too. The winter sky was dotted with countless stars, all twinkling like little beads.

“Heh heh.”

A chuckle burst from Eri.

“When Lemillion sees my big sword,” she mused, “he’s gonna be so surprised.”

Visions of a gobsmacked Mirio Togata danced through Eri’s head, and there was no trace on her face of the cloud that had once hung over her. As the ones who had rescued her and then some, Togata and Midoriya had played a massive role in helping her get to this point, emotionally. In fact, after losing his Quirk and taking a leave of absence from classes, Togata had spent nearly every day with the girl. His effortless cheeriness had a way of spreading to everyone around him, and for Eri, who’d spent many a day locked away in the cold and dark, Togata embodied comfort, warmth, and safety. That sense of ease in the everyday was something every child needed.

“Feeling chilly?” asked Aizawa, noticing Eri’s visible breath.

“Naw. Still all warm and steamy inside,” she said. “And so full. That chicken was yummy! And the corn dog, and takoyaki, and fries …”

A bit of drool leaked from the corner of her mouth as she rattled off the list of delicacies from the party. When she realized, she hastily wiped the spit away.

“So full, but I guess I wanna eat more anyway,” said Eri, sounding bashful about it.

She wasn’t nearly as reserved as usual, perhaps owing to the excitement of her first-ever Christmas party. Eri was so talkative, in fact, that she had even gotten the tight-lipped Aizawa into a chatty mood.

“Which was the yummiest?” he asked.

“Like, number one? Hmm. Um … Everything was yummy … Oh, the big pretty cake too … But I liked the apple with chocolate best of all.”

There had been a chocolate-fondue setup that invited partygoers to plunge pieces of fruit and marshmallows under the mini chocolate waterfall.

“It made me remember the candy apple that Deku made for me that one time,” she added.

She was referring, of course, to the treat Midoriya had prepared for her during the School Festival, which was another variation on the “apple coated with something sweet” theme. Seeing Eri’s smile once again, Aizawa couldn’t help but grin a little. He knew that precious memories from childhood were sure to serve as protective shields later in life, so Eri would someday be all the better off with more such experiences backing her.

“Aizawa Sensei?” said Eri. “Will Santa visit Deku too?”

Aizawa was taken aback by the out-of-the-blue question. He mulled over how to answer for a beat, then spoke.

“That’s up to Santa, I think.”

Eri looked shocked for a second before seeming to accept—in a distinctly childlike way—that these matters were Santa’s business and that was simply the way of things.

“I guess so,” she said, nodding. A subtle shadow seemed to descend over her face, and her mouth opened and closed a few times as she struggled to put thoughts into words.

“What is it?” asked Aizawa.

“Will Santa visit me?”

Eri had learned so many things since coming to U.A. High—among them, the idea of seasonal holidays. Each came with events and customs of its own, which inevitably colored everyone’s lives. Prepping for class A’s Christmas party, for instance, had taught Eri about Santa Claus—the saintly figure who gave out gifts to children around the world. Ever since learning this delightful fact, she’d been wondering whether or not Santa would pay her a visit.

Still holding the sword, Aizawa crouched down to Eri’s eye level.

“He absolutely will.”

“Okay,” said Eri, swallowing down any doubt she might have harbored with a nod and a gulp.

“Shall we?” said Aizawa, extending his hand.

“Uh-huh.”

Eri gripped his hand, and the pair walked into the teachers’ dorm building.

For a moment, the stars seemed to sparkle just a little brighter.

’Twas the middle of the night before Christmas, and not a creature was stirring, least of all Eri.

Just outside her door, Aizawa approached Present Mic, who was already in position for this planned rendezvous.

“What on earth are you wearing?” hissed Aizawa, already looking exasperated.

Present Mic was decked out in a red hat with white fur trim, red coat and pants, black boots, and a fluffy white beard and mustache. Completing the costume was a white sack slung over his shoulder.

“I’m Santa Claus! Who else? Good of you to show up looking like you always do, though!” whispered Mic, pointing at Aizawa’s usual black utilitarian garb.

The plan, of course, was to make a delivery to Eri from “Santa Claus.” Mic had brought the idea to Aizawa, pointing out how tragic it would be if the excited girl didn’t end up with a gift from Santa. Aizawa had been an overly rational child, so he’d stopped believing in Santa at a young age, but he saw no benefit to shattering the innocent fantasies of a little girl. Besides, even if Santa were real, he’d be bound to forget a few homes during his busy night, so why not take precautions? In that sense, it was only rational for the adults in Eri’s life to bring her a present on behalf of Santa. After all, any good hero was duty bound to safeguard the dreams of children.

Aizawa suggested that just one of them sneak in the room to place the gift by her pillow, but his companion immediately rejected that idea.

“What if her eyes pop open and she just sees you? Then all of a sudden Santa’s not real, and it’s just some trinket from cruddy old Aizawa!” said Mic.

“You’d better not be planning to wake her,” said Aizawa, casting a suspicious glare at Mic. Why would he don the whole outfit if he wasn’t planning to show it to Eri?

“Hell naw! I’m talking ’bout keeping up the fantasy!” said Mic.

“Fine. What did you get her, anyway?” said Aizawa with a glance at the white sack. He’d been mocked for his awful fashion sense the last time he’d bought clothes for Eri, so he’d agreed to let Mic make this particular gift selection. Mic opened the sack and proudly revealed a box wrapped with a festive ribbon and topped with a bow.

“A deejaying set for kids!”

“Huh?”

“Don’t gimme that skeptical look! This thing’s way cooler than you’d think!”

The set looked simple enough to control but was otherwise the genuine article. Mic explained how allowing kids to have fun with music from a young age seemed important to him. Aizawa wasn’t sure if this was up Eri’s alley or not, but since he’d left the decision in Mic’s hands, he gave a grunt of approval and reached for the doorknob.

“Come on. When I open the door, get in there quick and stay hidden.”

“Let’s go! Present time!”

Aizawa made eye contact with Mic and turned the knob, allowing the two men to slip inside the room. No sooner had they done so than they heard the window clack and the closet slide open.

“Huhh?”

Four overlapping voices.

Standing in the doorway, Aizawa and Mic saw Midnight crawling through the window and Thirteen emerging from the closet. Both women were decked out in their own Santa costumes. They all pointed at each other as if to say, “What are youuu doing here?”

“Hrm …”

A weak mumbling came from the bed as Eri stirred. The four educators scrambled to hide themselves in the darkness, stifling their breathing and masking their presences, like a quartet of ninja. They could imagine how the sight of three Santas and an Aizawa might confuse and fluster Eri, so they were determined not to get caught. Eri’s undisturbed breathing resumed, and the teachers made eye contact. Escaping into the hallway would let in the light, which might wake up Eri, so instead they snuck into the bathroom.

Midnight Claus—with her sexy Santa miniskirt—was the last to squeeze into the bathroom since she’d taken a moment to close the window behind her.

“We’re … a bit … cramped …” said Thirteen, who, with a Santa costume over her usual space suit and a white sack in her arms, actually took up more space than any of them.

“Scuse me!” said Midnight.

“Space Claus? Kind of a mishmash there, Thirteen!” said Mic.

“Actually, I think I resemble Santa Claus more than any of you,” quipped Thirteen.

“True. She’s got the ‘plump and wide’ angle down pat,” said Midnight.

“I should’ve stuffed a pillow under my top, huh!” said Mic.

“Enough. Let’s figure this out,” hissed Aizawa, unwilling to indulge the others’ nonsense.

“Fair enough,” said Midnight, surveying the other three. “Seems to me that we all came to give Eri gifts from ‘Santa,’ right?”

“Yes,” said Thirteen. “I planned this with some of our colleagues.”

“Hang on, you mean everyone came up with the same idea?” asked Mic.

“We all wanted to put a smile on Eri’s face, yes,” said Thirteen, grinning under her helmet.

Eri brought a wholesome, healing energy to the teachers’ dorm, so it was only natural that her new neighbors would want to keep her healthy, happy, and safe. Thirteen, in particular, had been looking after Eri each morning and at bath time. Initially, the girl had been reticent to ask for and accept help, but more recently she’d acclimated and gotten comfortable enough to even yawn loudly in Thirteen’s presence. The way she immediately grew bashful in such moments was adorable enough to make Thirteen want to squeeze the girl and hold her tight.

“Exactly,” said Midnight with a nod. In recent times, she had drawn pictures with Eri and read books to the girl when she couldn’t sleep. When Eri called Midnight “Miss Art,” the other teachers would poke fun at the goofy grin that arose on Midnight’s face. Remembering those moments now had the same effect on her.

“Makes sense to me!” added Mic. He’d been teaching Eri the English alphabet the past few weeks, and hearing her sing the ABC song reminded him of why he’d become a pro hero and English teacher to start with. When Aizawa had told him that Eri was wavering between calling him “Mister English” and “Mister Mustache,” Mic thought it was so cute that he’d broken out into an impromptu rap performance for Eri (which had only served to confuse her).

Aizawa agreed and nodded at his colleagues, who all turned to him and glared a bit.

“What did I do?” he asked, which only prompted deeper scowls.

“You’re closest to Eri out of all of us,” said Thirteen.

“Aren’t you so special, Mr. Parental Figure!” said Midnight.

“S’not fair, man!” added Mic.

People, by nature, are bundles of desire. When someone else receives affection, they are inclined to desire that same affection. Aizawa’s colleagues were jealous of Eri’s fondness for him. Of course, given Eri’s unfortunate circumstances, they never would’ve dreamed of pushing the issue in even a remotely aggressive way. They had to be the adults in the room, even if the situation irked their childish sides. Alas, even heroes were human.

Aizawa let loose an annoyed sigh as he realized that the grudge-filled glares were motivated by envy.

“Actually, Midoriya and Togata are closest to her,” said Aizawa.

“Yeah, but out of all of us teachers! Anyhoo, I know my gift’s gonna make that kid squeal with joy. That’s gonna earn me some real vicarious brownie points, via Santa! Just call me Long Legs Claus!” crowed Mic.

Midnight and Thirteen glanced at each other.

“Well? What’re you two giving her?” asked Midnight.

“A deejaying set for kids!”

Proud as ever, Mic went into a spiel about how great the gift was, but Midnight responded with a grin and a derisive snort.

“Oh yeah?” said Mic. “What’s your awesome present, then?”

“I got her … a picture book,” said Midnight.

“That’s weirdly ordinary! I was totally expecting something risqué from you!”

“Ouch! Obviously not! Not until she’s older, that is,” said Midnight. “Besides, gifts are meant to delight the giftee, and when it comes to little kids, that means encouraging their favorite hobbies, no?”

“Ugh! Well, I say that kids oughta be exposed to all sorts of new experiences early in life! It’s a great way to expand their potential later on, y’feel me? You’re on my side, right, Thirteen?” said Mic.

“Um. I got her a teddy bear,” said Thirteen.

“Is that what’s been cramping our style?” said Mic, pointing at Thirteen’s soft and squishy gift sack, which was taking up a huge amount of real estate in the center of the bathroom, pressing the teachers out to the sides.

“When I was young,” said Thirteen, with a note of apology in her voice, “I loved giant stuffed animals.”

Everyone present suddenly imagined an ecstatic Eri hugging a massive plushie. Picturing that perfect image, Mic gave a thumbs-up and said “Good going!” through clenched teeth. Midnight nodded as well.

“We’ll have to take a picture of her with her new toy tomorrow,” she said.

“Yes, let’s!” added an exuberant Thirteen, fully caught up in the mood.

Aizawa didn’t disagree that Eri would appreciate the stuffed animal, but then he snapped back to his senses and remembered that they were chatting in a cramped bathroom in the middle of the night.

“Let’s leave our gifts and be done with it. No reason to dawdle,” he said.

“Okay!” said Mic with a start and a nod. “With a little teamwork, this mission will be complete in no time!”

“I don’t think I’ve ever experienced such a meaningful, stimulating, and holy night,” said Midnight.

“I have faith we can pull this off!” said Thirteen.

“Yeah!” said Aizawa’s colleagues in unison.

All we’re doing is putting presents on a pillow.

Aizawa kept this thought to himself because voicing the quip out loud would only make them quip back, and so on and so forth, effectively wasting more time.

The mission was as follows: to place the gifts near Eri’s pillow without making a sound and leave the room undetected. After going over this ridiculously simple plan, Midnight peered out the cracked bathroom door, gave a signal, and opened it gently. Silently, the four teachers approached Eri’s bed with bated breath, being careful not to knock over the giant sword leaning against the wall. As they peeked at her pillows, Aizawa noticed a charming angel figurine placed on the shelf attached to the headboard. He cocked his head, puzzled, since it wasn’t a familiar sight.

Has she always had that thing?

The others, however, were too busy staring at the other angel—the one nestled all snug in her bed.

“Aww, deep in slumberland,” said Midnight.

“Having pleasant dreams, hopefully,” said Thirteen.

“Probably about Santa Cl—” said Mic, but he cut himself short. “Hang on—what’s that next to her?”

When the others spotted the small sock on one of Eri’s pillows, their faces clouded over. Eri must have been told that Santa filled stockings with presents, so she’d left out one of her own teeny-tiny socks. None of the gifts the four teachers had brought would fit inside, of course. Flustered, they scrambled away from the bed and toward the main door for an emergency conference.

“What now?” said Mic. “That little thing can’t hold any of our awesome gifts!”

“It’s fine. We’ll just place the gifts near the pillow, as planned,” said Aizawa.

“But if she wakes up to an empty sock, Eri will blame herself for not having prepared a larger one, no?” said Thirteen.

“I can picture that, yeah,” said Midnight.

“Your book’s the smallest gift we got, Midnight. Try cramming that in there!” said Mic.

“This jumbo-sized book? I very much doubt it,” said Midnight.

“Where’s your Plus Ultra attitude?” said Mic.

“But forcing it in would surely stretch out poor Eri’s sock,” protested Thirteen.

“Forget the sock already,” said Aizawa, but before he could scold his frantic colleagues any further, they all heard a faint noise and whipped around. They saw motion outside the window and instantly panicked. A villain, perhaps? Eri was sleeping just a few feet from the window, so when a dark figure started to open it, the four teachers leaped into fighting stances, prepared to defend the girl. The window slid open, but before the perpetrator could climb in, Aizawa’s binding cloth shot out and wrapped around the intruder’s neck.

“Urk!”

“Vlad?”

Vlad King—dressed up in his own Santa suit—tumbled into the room through the window, yanked by the binding cloth.

“Hey! Vlad! Huh?” came a worried voice from outside. A moment later, Hound Dog peered through the window sporting a set of fake reindeer antlers. Apparently these two had gone for a whole dual cosplay for Eri’s sake. In any case, all the hubbub was disturbing enough that Eri began to stir, prompting every adult in the room to drop to the floor, which was when they noticed the gleaming white eyes and teeth lurking in the darkness under the bed itself. Every instinct told them to scream at the sight of what had to be some sort of boogeyman, but they managed to swallow down their cries for Eri’s sake. Once the girl was sound asleep again, a black figure appeared before them and said “Shh” with one finger to its mouth.

“Don’t scare us like that, Ectoplasm,” said Midnight.

“My heart flatlined for a second there!” said Mic.

The real Ectoplasm (also wearing a Santa costume) emerged from under the bed to join his Quirk-created clone. He’d arrived in the room before any of them, but when the rest of the crew had started showing up, he’d missed his chance to make himself known and join them.

“Apologies,” he said, as his clone dissipated. “I feared that calling out would frighten you all and alert Eri to our presence.”

“Can I come in now?” asked Hound Dog, who’d been cowering outside the window.

A moment later, all seven teachers were huddled together near the door for another meeting.

“Lemme get this straight—we’re all here to deliver gifts to Eri?” asked Mic.

Vlad King and Hound Dog nodded.

“That’s right,” said Vlad. “Me and Hound Dog pulled out all the stops to keep the fantasy alive for Eri.”

“Down to the last detail, huh,” said Midnight, flicking Hound Dog’s fake antlers.

“Yep. Cementoss whipped these up for me,” said Hound Dog. “And Power Loader motorized our sleigh for us—no pulling needed.” Although Cementoss and Power Loader hadn’t come themselves, they’d gone in on the teddy bear with Thirteen.

Like the others, Vlad King had been spending some free time with Eri, teaching her gymnastics exercises. She’d had trouble getting the hang of it at first, but these days she’d get a real thrill when Vlad King lifted her overhead and she pretended to be an airplane. She’d even taken to calling him “Mister Exercise,” which had inspired him to find books on entertaining exercise routines for children.

Hound Dog, meanwhile, was still a little scary to Eri, given his role as the strict school life supervisor. Still, after he’d taught Eri which wildflowers smelled the sweetest, she’d drawn a picture of those very flowers for him—a picture he had promptly hung up in his room.

“I am here to leave CDs of nursery rhymes as a gift,” said Ectoplasm.

Eri had also been scared of Ectoplasm at first, and after he’d presented for her his “clone-powered canon” rendition of a children’s song in an effort to win her over, she’d gone from scared to terrified. Midnight and Thirteen had later joined Ectoplasm’s performances, however, which had made the girl comfortable enough to start calling him “Mister Song.” Now he’d brought a set of mix CDs loaded with handpicked songs just for Eri.

“I don’t believe Eri owns a CD player, though,” said Thirteen.

“She doesn’t?” said Ectoplasm.

“Hey, no prob!” said Mic. “The deejaying set I’m gifting her can play CDs!”

“What’d you two get for her?” Midnight asked Vlad King and Hound Dog. “I got her a book.”

“A cute comb, an adorable hairpin, and a lovely little hand mirror,” said Hound Dog.

“Well, lookit you two, trying to win her over with girlie-girl stuff!” said Mic.

“I actually asked the girls in my class for advice,” said Vlad King, sounding smug.

“Dang! We shoulda gone that route too!” said Mic.

“No, I am quite grateful for your choice of the deejaying set,” said Ectoplasm.

“Speaking of presents, how about we deliver them?” said Aizawa, his low voice cutting through the chatter like a knife. He knew that if they dawdled too long, Eri might wake up and their whole surprise would be spoiled. His grave tone brought the others to their senses, helping them focus on the mission at hand. A bit more debate over the tiny-sock issue led to the decision not to try cramming any of the presents inside. After all, it wasn’t the sock that mattered—it was the presents.

Once more, the group of teachers snuck over to the bed, where the sight of Eri’s cherubic face and the sound of her soft breathing warmed their hearts. But as they attempted to place the presents by her pillow, the angel figurine on the shelf came to life, its eyes glowing red. Before they could react, two halves of a transparent, dome-like shield shot up from either side of the bed, meeting in the middle and sealing the bed within, Eri and all.

“What the—?”

Aizawa attempted to pry open the shield to rescue Eri, but the thin material was tougher than it looked and wouldn’t budge. That was when the angel floated into the air.

“Intruders detected. Intruders detected,” announced the angel in a robotic voice before it began firing off weaponized beams. The teachers dodged in the nick of time, but the beams kept coming, forcing them to dance around the cramped room.

“What the heck’s this about?” said Mic.

“No clue, but we’ve got to help dear Eri,” said Midnight.

And yet Eri was still fast asleep under the clear dome, so they realized it must be soundproof.

“Wait a minute!” said Thirteen with a gasp. “At the end of the meeting today, didn’t the principal say something about improved security?”

The others searched their memories, trying to recall exactly what Principal Nezu had said.

“It was, ‘Ah, one more thing! Keep in mind that as of today, we’ve bolstered security measures … in Eri’s room’!” screamed Mic.

Power Loader had modeled the Guardian Angelbot after one of Hatsume’s toy monkeys, but at the moment, he was in the underground dungeon tinkering away, none the wiser that his defense system had been installed earlier.

“Whoa!”

“Yikes!”

The flurry of beams somehow corralled them all into one corner, at which point the Angelbot spoke again.

“Capture intruders. Capture intruders.”

A powerful, sticky rope launched from the angel and wrapped around the teachers. Following its programming, the machine had determined that, based on the size of the room and the number of “villains,” the optimal strategy was to herd them into a group with the beams before binding them with the rope.

“Oh, great …” said Mic.

“Grr! Can’t get this sticky crap offa me!” said Hound Dog.

“How’re we ever gonna deliver our presents now?” moaned Midnight.

In response, Ectoplasm created one of his clones, and Thirteen aimed one of her fingers at the Angelbot, ready to produce a black hole with her Quirk.

“Shall I destroy it?” said Ectoplasm.

“Should I suck it up?” said Thirteen.

“Probably shouldn’t, when the principal went outta his way to install it,” said Vlad King, voicing his disapproval for the plan.

“What’s our move, then?” asked Mic.

“We’ll have to disable it without destroying it,” said Aizawa, after a moment of thought. “Then we drop the presents and leave.” He eyed the Guardian Angelbot—still floating overhead and monitoring the group—before explaining the plan in a whisper.

“Ectoplasm—you distract the machine while Thirteen destroys the rope. Once we’re free, Vlad and I will pin down that angel. In the meantime, the rest of you will …”

“Leave the presents?” said Midnight.

“Okay! We can handle that part!” said Mic.

“After that, maybe we should split into two teams for the escape?” suggested Midnight.

“I will open the door,” said Ectoplasm, “and Hound Dog can open the window. When the operation is finished, each of you leave via the nearest exit.”

The teachers nodded in agreement and glanced over at Eri, who was still sleeping peacefully. The notion of safeguarding the girl’s innocent dreams brought a deadly serious look to their faces as their pride as pro heroes kicked in.

“The first move is yours, Ectoplasm,” said Aizawa.

Ectoplasm unleashed about fifteen clones all at once to surround the Angelbot, and Thirteen wriggled around for a moment before popping open one of her space suit’s fingertips.

“Here I go!” said Thirteen, but the bindings and awkward angle made her finger slip, causing the ensuing black hole to suck in every last one of Ectoplasm’s clones, which shrieked in agony as they were swallowed up. The loss of the clones had no physical effect on the original Ectoplasm, but the shock filled him with a vicarious fear of gruesome death.

“Their lives flashed before my eyes!” he cried at Thirteen.

“S-so sorry! My attack is hard to aim with a high degree of accuracy. Here, let me try again …”

Thirteen’s black holes were like kisses of instant death, and her colleagues were suddenly keenly aware that another deadly orb was about to be unleashed in their immediate vicinity.

“Careful with those things!” yelped Mic. “Maybe try aiming from this direction?”

“Ah, please don’t jostle me so much,” said Thirteen, but Mic’s panicked fidgeting resulted in another misfire—one that sucked up Hound Dog’s reindeer antlers.

“Awooo …” came his mournful howl as his face went pale.

“Aim right this time!” said Vlad King. “It’d put the school in a real bind if we all got sucked up and somehow Mic was the only one left!”

“O-okay!” said Thirteen.

“Ouch, Vlad! And quit putting pressure on Thirteen,” said Mic.

“Please do it quickly! Ah!” said Ectoplasm. The Angelbot had evaded his next wave of clones and was once again staring down at the teachers. Its smile—which might have appeared kind and merciful in better times—took on a haughty, sneering quality in the dark and gloom, as if the angel were presiding over inferior creatures. Less like an angel of heaven, more like a demon of hell.

Aizawa and the teachers gulped, realizing that they had a long and miserable night ahead of them. Eri, meanwhile, was still fast asleep, blissfully unaware that outside her bubble, this holy night had turned into desperate struggle for survival.

The creeping morning light hit Eri’s still-closed eyes. Reluctant to leave dreamland just yet, she spun around in bed and managed to hit something with her flailing arm.

“Hmm? Oh!”

At the sight of the pile of presents covering her pillow and then some, Eri’s eyes sparkled as bright as the morning sun. In an instant she was fully awake, eager to confirm that she wasn’t dreaming. Yes, the gifts were real. Clad in her pajamas, she dashed out of her room and down the hall and found Aizawa on the sofa in the communal area.

“G-good morning,” said Eri.

“Oh? Morning,” said Aizawa.

“Um, last night, I think Santa came and … Wait, huh?”

Splayed out on the couch were Present Mic, Midnight, Thirteen, Ectoplasm, Vlad King, and Hound Dog. They’d spent most of the night locked in a death battle with the Guardian Angelbot and had only managed to claim victory and clean up the room less than an hour before. Unable to muster the strength to return to their own beds, they’d flopped down on the sofa in the aftermath. Aizawa himself had slept like a log briefly, and it was taking all he had to sit upright at the moment.

“Good morning, Eri …” said Midnight.

“Ah, good morning,” said Eri, always one to mind her manners. She found it odd how exhausted all the teachers were, but her excitement got the better of her.

“Um, so, I think Santa came … and brought me lots of presents.”

“Oh yeah? That’s great,” said Aizawa.

“Uh-huh,” said Eri, who was positively beaming by this point. It was a smile powerful enough to penetrate the teachers’ fatigue and turn up the corners of their mouths. Having done their duty as both heroes and grown-ups, they turned to each other and exchanged the knowing glances that can only be shared by weary comrades in arms. Such was the power behind Eri’s pure smile—a reward that made it all worth it, and the best Christmas present they could have asked for.