A wave of clapping sounds rushed to Luke's ears as he took several little bunnies out of his top hat.
This was already his third performance today. Any moment now, UA's teachers might catch on to him being an impostor and come for him.
So, he needed to make this performance as grand as possible.
Using his Magician and Clown's abilities, he had cast an illusion on his face, combining it with light makeup. With him dressed in a black long coat over black pants, having black hair and black eyes, anyone would have a hard time relating him to either Luke or Dr. Blessed.
"Who is ready for something extraordinary?" The Magician asked.
"WE!" The crowd of mainly little children roared, the adults smiling as they stood behind them.
"Who is ready to see the greatest magic tricks of all time?"
"WE!"
"Haha!" The Magician laughed, snapping his fingers. "Hold your pants, then, ladies and gentlemen!"
For a moment, they all looked at the Magician in silence.
When nothing happened, the children frowned, and the adults gained a wry smile.
Even the Magician held a frown on his face. "Well…" he said, raising his brows. "Why aren't you checking your pockets?!"
Taken aback, everyone threw their hands inside their pockets.
Gasps rang out from both children and adults as they took out a coin.
"No way!" one adult said.
"How did he do it without using Quirk?"
"You really think he didn't use Quirk for something like this?"
Despite the questioning attitude of many adults, the children had gone wild, jumping on their feet.
The Magician raised his hand, quieting them.
"Now," he said, walking to a table in the middle of the stage, "for the next few tricks, I will need an assistant."
Switching to Trickmaster, Luke covered the entire floor with fog.
"UA doesn't hold back on money for Sports and School Festival," an adult commented, making everyone nod.
On the stage, Luke took advantage of the fog blurring the children's vision.
He waved his hand, pulling out a Black Curtain from nowhere, covering the table with it.
Then, he tapped the table with the cane in his hand, chanting incomprehensible words. Suddenly, loud pops and bangs reverberated in the surroundings.
With a jerk, Luke lifted the Black Curtain and made it vanish.
However, the crowd couldn't have cared for the curtain at all because — a lady was lying on the table.
Wearing a corset-style, tight-fitted, black bodice over fishnet leggings, Kazuho shot off the table, questioning her life decisions.
A showgirl.
That's what the Leader of the Apostles of Mr. Fool had asked her to become at UA's School Festival.
Now that she knew about the Potions and the Acting Method, she understood the necessity of it all.
Not only that, but acting as a Magician's assistant would also help her digest the Apprentice Potion.
Still, it didn't change the fact that she was looking ridiculous, especially with the eyepatch on her left eye.
Of course, the crowd didn't share her thoughts.
Applause, matching the intensity of Class 1-A's drama, overwhelmed the venue.
This was just the beginning. Removing the table from the stage, Kazuho brought a long piece of cloth and let everyone see it.
"Can you see the fabric?" Luke asked.
"Yes!!!" The children jumped, thrilled, as they waited for the next trick.
"Is it real?"
"Yes!!!"
Kazuho propped the cloth up using two hooks, then.
On the other side, Luke rubbed his fingers, using another one of the Trickmaster's abilities.
As fire took over the fabric, and as the children backed up in amazement, Luke switched back to the Magician Sequence.
Flipping acrobatically, he jumped into the fire, bringing out a gasp from the audience.
Simultaneously, with a bright, red flash, the entire cloth was burned to a crisp.
Only Kazuho the Apprentice remained on the stage now, smiling.
Where was the Magician?
Where did he go?
"And…" a voice entered everyone's ears from the crowd. "… what are we looking for?"
No. It couldn't be.
It was the Magician!!
A roar of applause deafened their ears as they cheered for him.
High-fiving the children, Luke rushed back to the stage and bowed to them.
"A short break, ladies and gentlemen!" The Magician said, sensing the potion getting digested by miles. "Then… it will be time for the greatest trick of the day!!"
…
"Luke's punches pack a punch, huh!" Kaminari said, smiling wryly as he ate.
After lunch, they had one more performance scheduled for today.
Next to him, Midoriya nodded. Luke was acting as the Nomu for the play. As he had fought Luke already on the stage, he knew why Kaminari, who was Erasure Head, said so.
Even though it was a fake fight, Midoriya had felt the power behind those punches.
"Luke could have passed as All Might as well," Toru grumbled.
Midoriya's lips twitched. He had also said the same when Luke had suggested playing the Nomu.
Of course, Midoriya couldn't have been happier about playing All Might. I wonder if Luke didn't become All Might to let me play the character on stage, instead, he thought, feeling touched.
"Where is he, anyway?" Uraraka asked, looking around.
However, there were enough people around them to hide even a Nomu among themselves.
…
"This was a good idea," Toshinori commented, eying the crowd from the Principal's office.
Nezu nodded, sipping tea. "People, including UA's students, deserve a reset now and then. You do, too, All Might."
The Symbol of Peace shook his head.
Suddenly, Midnight entered the office.
Handing over a document to Nezu, she looked at Toshinori. "Your students are the main attraction this time, All Might," she said, smiling. "Great idea."
At that, Toshinori had to let out a chuckle. "It's not bad to let the people know what happened at USJ. Transparency will only help us in the long run."
Nezu nodded, knowing what All Might meant.
"Still…" Midnight said, licking her lips. "… The Magical Performance is giving them a good challenge. That student is quite good… Nice eye for an assistant as well… Hehe…"
All Might suddenly frowned and looked back. "What…"
On the principal's chair, Nezu's hand shook, spilling tea. "What Magical Performance?"
As if this wasn't chilling enough, a security guard barged into the office, sweat drenching his pale face.
"Sir… Sir!" The guard said, stuttering. "You need to see this!!"
And, he held the tablet in his hands, the screen showing the face of Tomura Shigaraki!
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