"As expected of Sensei."
In the dimly lit underground bar, Dabi slouched over the counter, lazily playing with a tower of poker cards.
"No matter how much I investigate, I can't figure out where those guys are headed. Yet he figured it out so easily..." As he spoke, he gently placed a spade card on top.
"Indeed. Having those new recruits on standby came in handy," Kurogiri said as he wiped a seemingly endless series of goblets behind the bar.
"Tch, whatever." Mustard deliberately knocked over the card tower he had spent so long building and sat up with a casual expression.
At that moment, the bar door opened, and Mr. Compress—who hadn't shown up in a while—walked in with a cigarette dangling from his mouth.
"We got a message from the union. The delivery will be made tomorrow morning. Looks like it was rushed, though. Not much in the looks department, but the quality is definitely solid."
"I really appreciate your efforts this time. Sorry for the trouble," Kurogiri said sincerely.
"Haha, Shigaraki-kun, do you know why the union accepted your ridiculous request?" Yiran pinched the cigarette from his lips and asked.
"It's because everyone is waiting to see what you'll do, 01. The League of Villains' recent activities have stirred up the shadows—people in hiding are starting to lose their patience."
"And when the time comes, even folks like us might get to bask in the light." He grinned, lifting the hand holding his cigarette with excitement.
In the rising smoke, he seemed to see an influx of orders. It was his sixth sense as a businessman—and the biggest reason he was willing to work so hard for the League.
"Don't worry. You'll be overwhelmed soon," Shigaraki said quietly, eyes fixed on the bar counter.
"Haha, then I'll be waiting—bring the fire!" Compress said enthusiastically, popping the cigarette back into his mouth.
"Thanks for your business. I'll head back and wait for the big headlines to hit the news." With that, he turned and left, closing the bar door behind him and leaving the scent of smoke in the air.
Shigaraki never looked at him once. His eyes remained on the poker cards scattered across the bar as he muttered, "The destination, the pawns, the prey... Everything is in place. Let the game begin."
Kurogiri continued polishing the goblet while glancing at the half-covered photo underneath the pile of poker cards.
"I still can't forget him..."
At this point, two weeks had passed since Kaminari and Momo had their serious conversation. The details were too dangerous and sensitive to elaborate on.
During this period, however, his training had begun to pay off. His physique had noticeably improved—stronger muscles, more defined abs, increased arm strength, and better overall conditioning.
As for his Quirks, the newly acquired Electricity Control had fully adapted to his body, with its range expanding to the expected 200 meters.
The same went for Electricity Absorbing Physique. Currently, it could generate 5 million volts of electricity in 6 hours, and 10 million volts in 12 hours.
As for his basic ability to store electricity, the upper limit had reached about 7 million volts—still a bit short of his first goal: 10 million units.
Today was the long-awaited dormitory trip. After receiving the notice, Class 1-A's students and teachers gathered at U.A. Academy. It was ten minutes before the designated time—10 a.m.
"Only Kaminari and Tetsutetsu are left. Jiro-san, have you contacted them?" Class rep Iida asked, checking his watch.
"They said they've already reached Shizuoka and will be here on time." Kyoka put down her phone and nodded.
"Hmm, that's good. That way, no one will be late for our first sleepover!" Iida said with a serious smile.
"Speaking of cars, you guys have seen the ads, right?" Ashido said cheerfully in her casual outfit.
"Yeah, Kaminari's Nabonir endorsements have been popping up everywhere—on TV, online... You can't miss them," Ojiro said, standing next to Hagakure.
"And the song 'Back to Life' with Kyoka on lead vocals is amazing. I really like it," Asui added, looking over and praising her.
"Heh, thanks!" Kyoka responded with an embarrassed smile.
"Man, I'm jealous. If he keeps this up, he could rank really high on the Pro Hero chart in his first month after graduation," Kirishima said, scratching his red hair.
"Tch, rankings aren't just about popularity," Bakugo muttered, unwilling to stay silent.
"That may be true, but I heard the Hero Public Safety Commission is planning to place more emphasis on public appeal going forward," Momo added softly, joining the conversation.
At that moment, Uraraka—standing next to Midoriya—seemed to hear something. But before she could react, Kyoka, whose hearing was sharpest, quickly alerted the group.
"That's a sports car! Kaminari and the others are here!"
Everyone turned to look. Sure enough, a sleek sports car with a yellow body and black racing stripes rolled leisurely toward them, clearly maintaining a low speed in the city.
"That's Bumblebee!" Mineta squealed excitedly, practically bouncing with joy. He had been stalking this car online for days and was finally seeing it in person.
"Jeez, is it necessary to run over there?" Sero said, watching Mineta trot off in excitement.
"Wait, isn't he only interested in that kind of stuff? When did he start liking cars?" Ashido asked, confused.
"There must be some unknown backstory," Tokoyami said mysteriously.
Meanwhile, the Bumblebee came to a stop in front of the hero gate. As Kaminari and Tetsutetsu stepped out of the back seat, they spotted Mineta pressing his face against the hood with a look of pure bliss.
"Ah, I'm so happy. This is the spot where those sexy car models touched, leaned, maybe even sat!"
"..."
Kaminari and Tetsutetsu stared at him in silence, eyes darkened. They shared a silent thought in perfect sync: He really is worthy of the title 'Embodiment of Lust 017'... Truly living up to the name.
"Sir, I'll take my leave," the suited chauffeur stepped out respectfully and addressed Kaminari.
"Alright. Just be here on time for the pickup." Kaminari nodded. With permission granted, the driver returned to the sports car and drove off—Mineta watching in teary-eyed disappointment.
"Let's go!" Tetsutetsu laughed.
"Yeah. Let's see what kind of place Hero Hero's got for lodging." No one noticed the flicker in Kaminari's eyes as he glanced toward the Hero Hero gate.
"Now that everyone's here, let's move out," Aizawa, who had been quietly standing in front of the bus, called out as Kaminari and Tetsutetsu approached.
"The first semester is over, and we're in summer break. But for those of you aiming to become Pro Heroes, there's no time to relax."
"I'm sure you've all trained hard during your time off. Through this forest training camp, I hope you'll all push yourselves to the next level."
"With the mindset of relentless progress—that is, Plus Ultra!"
"Yes!!!" The entire Class 1-A shouted in unison, lined up neatly for a group photo. Listening to Aizawa's speech, Kaminari thought to himself:
"A forest, huh? Sounds remote and uninhabited. I just hope U.A.'s security is on point… because something's definitely going to happen this time."
(To be continued.)
***
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