Hearing Midoriya's words, everyone exchanged glances and quickly understood what Bakugo must be feeling right now.
With his strong pride, being kidnapped and held hostage by the League of Villains was something he couldn't easily accept.
Especially since this entire war had been triggered because of him.
For the time being, Bakugo must be trapped in self-blame and anger.
Masata tried calling him again, but no one answered.
By then, it was already close to dinner time, and there was no way to delay any longer.
The banquet was divided into two areas.
The spacious main dining hall was reserved for Class A students.
Meanwhile, Yaoyorozu's parents and Masata's parents ate in a smaller private room.
After all, adults had their own conversations, and everyone felt more relaxed when separated.
"I'm telling you… what's wrong with you?"
On the way to the dining hall, Masata moved closer to Todoroki.
Since earlier, he had noticed something strange in Todoroki's eyes.
It felt like he had something on his mind.
Todoroki ignored him at first, keeping his usual stoic expression.
But that only made Masata more curious.
"Let me guess… it's about your family, right?"
Honestly, considering Todoroki's personality, only family matters could trouble him this much.
He rarely interacted deeply with others.
So even though Masata was technically guessing, he said it with complete confidence.
Todoroki's thoughts were exposed.
He finally dropped his indifferent act and gave a bitter smile.
"…Yeah. My dad lost his temper at home yesterday. It worried me."
Masata immediately understood.
Endeavor had always been obsessed with surpassing All Might.
Now that All Might had suddenly retired, it must have been a huge blow.
After all, Endeavor had spent his entire life chasing that goal.
If All Might was gone, how could he ever surpass him?
"Don't overthink it," Masata said gently.
"Your dad probably just needed somewhere to vent. Let him cool off."
As he spoke, Masata couldn't help feeling emotional.
Back during the Sports Festival, Todoroki's relationship with his father had been tense.
Now, after more than half a year, Todoroki was genuinely worried about him.
Time really was powerful.
Under Yaoyorozu's urging, everyone finally took their seats.
It wasn't their first time seeing her family's wealth.
But today's banquet still shocked them.
Not only was the dining hall extravagantly decorated, but even the tableware looked priceless.
And the food—
It was a full buffet.
Abalone, lobster, king crab…
Rare delicacies were laid out like everyday dishes.
Many students didn't even know the names of some items.
But none of that mattered.
All they saw was food.
And lots of it.
Everyone ate like they hadn't touched food in days.
Meanwhile, in a quieter corner, Masata, Yaoyorozu, and Chacha were enjoying a rare peaceful moment.
"Hah… hah…"
Chacha's rapid breathing filled the air.
Her face was flushed red.
"I—I can't take it anymore…"
Her voice trembled between pain and excitement.
"If you can't handle it, stop eating," Yaoyorozu said gently.
"But… I think I can still hold on. It feels… strange."
"Just give up."
"No! I won't!"
Hearing their conversation, Masata's forehead twitched.
This sounded way too easy to misunderstand.
"So… this Mapo Tofu only looks spicy, right?"
He couldn't help complaining.
"It's actually not that spicy at all!"
"Why are you acting like this, Chacha?!"
If he kept listening, he might lose his sanity.
Chacha's face was completely red.
She panted lightly, stuck out her tongue, then quickly pulled it back.
She looked unbelievably cute.
"But… it's really spicy…"
Thanks to Masata's mother's influence, Chacha had grown fond of spicy food.
But she still couldn't fully handle it.
Yet she kept shoveling Mapo Tofu into her mouth.
Yaoyorozu's chefs had prepared it authentically.
The numbing and spicy flavors were perfectly balanced.
For Chacha, it was her first time tasting something this intense.
And she couldn't stop.
"By the way… what exactly happened when you suddenly escaped from AFO?"
Yaoyorozu finally asked.
She had watched the entire battle live but hadn't fully understood that moment.
"Well… you can think of it as my overwhelming aura scaring him."
Masata replied casually while wrestling with a massive crab leg.
Yaoyorozu clearly didn't believe him.
"I'm being serious. Don't try to brush me off."
She puffed her cheeks and stole a piece of crab meat from his plate.
"My crab!!!"
Masata nearly cried.
As expected, girls were completely unreasonable.
"Talk. Or else."
Yaoyorozu chewed calmly.
"Other people's food always tastes better," she added vaguely.
"Actually… I'm telling the truth."
Masata finally sighed.
"At that moment, I just kept thinking I couldn't lose. Then I broke through, released that pressure, and escaped while he was stunned."
He tried to explain, but his words were messy.
Yaoyorozu only grew more confused.
"Fine. I'll show you later."
Masata made up his mind.
"There's a zoo in Houshan, right? I'll demonstrate it with animals."
Yaoyorozu looked at him suspiciously.
But seeing his confident expression, she finally nodded.
"…Alright. I'll believe you for now."