Unknown to Luke's unannounced plight, the rest of the students were having a nice, hot bath at their respective shared, open bathhouse.
If they had known that they would enjoy the hot spring during the campsite, they would have perhaps chosen someplace else to go yesterday.
Still, half the memories of the grand hot spring resort were already blurred because of what happened during the day in the Beasts Forest.
As soon as the students entered the body of the nice, soothing, hot water, they melted, letting out moans.
After a while, when a hint of tiredness disappeared from their faces, they finally got the time to notice the absent classmate.
"… Where's Luke?" Deku asked, looking around.
He could have sworn that Luke had been right behind him.
"… Luke's smart," Kirishima said, almost passed out. "He must have gone to eat something first."
"That bastard!" Kaminari cursed. "He will not leave anything for us…"
"Now, come on!" Tenya rebuked. "That's no way to…"
Midoriya's lips twitched, remembering the cookies his mom had made for the boys only recently. "No… I am with Kaminari in this," he said, making many boys raise their brows. "Seeing Luke eat is… an experience…"
Todoroki's lips twitched as he pulled himself up over a rock, wrapping a towel around his waist.
Luke was pretty chill with everyone, never really taking sides.
However, there were some with whom he was closer than others.
Momo, Toru, and Midoriya could be said to be his closest friends, despite not actually acting like one.
Suddenly, the gate to the bath threw open.
"Hahaha!" Mirio Togata, buck naked, marched in, laughing out loud.
As the students gaped at him, stunned beyond bounds for various reasons, the Pro fell into the earth and then jumped out of the hot spring, making a weird pose.
"… It's a—," Mirio shouted, stretching his hands like fins. "—Swordfish!"
"… Ptew!" Midoriya choked on air as the Pro fell back into the water with a splash, attracting many laughs.
As the laughs died, and the students stormed Lemillion with questions on a Sidekick's life, someone stepped out of the hot spring and approached the large, wooden wall propped between the boys' and girls' baths.
"Frankly, food and training stuff isn't that important to me," Mineta said, drooling as he looked up where the wall's top edge was blurring into the steam. "That's not what I am here for. What I am here for is to see beyond the trailer I saw yesterday… The full movie, which is playing beyond this wall."
Midoriya was close enough to Mineta to hear the guy's mumbles. "What are you talking to yourself about, Mineta?" he asked.
In response, and now catching everyone's undivided attention, Mineta inched toward the wall and put his ear to it.
Through the wooden barrier, he could hear their voices.
The girls were also giggling, surrounding Snappy as she joined them.
"A movie about…" Mineta slurred, a blush rising on the boys' faces behind him. "… climbing mountains…"
"Oi…" Kaminari almost bled through the nose. "… you are not thinking of…"
Tenya burst out of the water, going as red as a cherry. "Mineta!" he shouted, rushing toward the boy. "Stop it!"
"… So noisy…" Mineta's face gained a twisted smile as he pulled hair-balls from his head. "Walls — are meant to be climbed over! Plus Ultra!!"
Then, using his Quirk — Pop Off — Mineta began hurriedly climbing the wall, pulling out one sticky ball off his head after another.
His speed was so great that the eyes of all the boys widened.
It was especially so for Shoji, who remembered that Mineta hadn't shown this much ferocity even during the Final Exams a few weeks ago.
In only a few moments, Mineta reached the top, the twisted smile on his face becoming a sickening one.
But, just as he was about to grab the edge of the wall, a face popped over it, looking down at him.
It was the same boy who had appeared at the parking spot with the two Pros of the Wild, Wild Pussycats!
"So…" the boy said, slapping Mineta's hand. "… you are the lecherous worm I heard about…"
Losing his balls, Mineta fell and landed right on Tenya's face before both fell into the water with a loud splash.
On the other side of the wall, the girls cursed Mineta while praising the boy.
"That Mineta is up to no good again…" Momo hissed, covering her chest.
"We will have to do something about him soon," Tsuyu nodded. "Or the only training we will get will be on how to avoid him…"
"We can hire Kato's legendary service every day," Aina said, looking up at the boy. Slowly, she stood up, letting them hang in the open. "Won't you agree, Kota?"
That was a bad move.
Kota, caught off guard, became as red as a boiled lobster, stepping back.
Suddenly, his back hit the wall's edge, and he fell, letting out a scream.
Lemillion's eyes narrowed as he instantly activated his Quirk.
But someone had reacted even faster, it seemed.
Leaving a cyan blur, Midoriya caught Kota before the boy had even fallen half the distance and landed on the ground safely.
Seeing Kota wobbling out of Midoriya's hold, all the boys let out a breath of relief.
"Hey," Midoriya grabbed the little boy's shoulders, looking him all over for any injury. "Are you alright?"
Kota opened his eyes, his heart booming because of the sudden fall.
And the moment his vision cleared, his eyes landed on Midoriya… where his towel should have been.
"Very good, Midoriya," Mirio praised, beaming. "You reacted faster than me… A necessary quality to be a Hero…"
But before the Pro could have ended his sentence, his words had already triggered the little boy.
Grinding his teeth, Kota made a fist and… punched Midoriya right into his balls.
"…"
The door to the bath again opened, and Luke, bruised beyond recognition, crawled forward like a zombie.
The scene ahead made his eyes shoot open instantly, though.
Midoriya was squirming like a fish out of the water, holding his balls, a little boy blowing on his fist as if it were a gun in front of him.
"… I don't even want to know…" Luke said, entering the hot spring. "Wake me up when it's time for dinner…"
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