"You said you'd take care of the Deadwood matter. If you've got that kind of confidence, you might as well give some proper guidance to Midoriya. His progress is way too slow, isn't it?"
On the drive back, All Might looked unusually troubled. Masata tried to lighten the mood.
"Midoriya… you're right. He does need to grow faster."
"It's not right to put all the burden on you alone."
"Protecting peace is also One For All's responsibility."
Masata's words worked.
A spark flared in All Might's eyes, and his grip on the steering wheel tightened—so much so that the car drifted slightly.
"Midoriya… don't blame me later. This is for your own good."
Masata silently mourned for him.
With All Might looking like this, intense special training was definitely coming.
"Hey! Watch the road! I don't want to die in a car crash!"
"Haha! My mistake!"
By the time they returned to U.A., it was already midnight.
"Alright, I'm heading back."
Masata got out of the car and waved before walking toward the dorms.
He wasn't tired, but he still wanted a proper night's sleep.
BOOM!!!
"What the hell?!"
A sudden explosion echoed through the campus.
Masata turned immediately.
In the distance, flames were rising.
"That direction… Training Ground B?"
After a semester at U.A., he knew the layout well.
"Did villains invade?"
That was his first thought.
The night before school resumed—everyone's guard would naturally be down.
It was the perfect time to attack.
All Might, who had just gotten back into his car, also froze and looked toward the flames with a grave expression.
Their conclusions were the same.
"Let's go."
"If it's villains, we're lucky we're still nearby."
Without another word, both of them moved toward the explosion at full speed.
Steam burst around All Might as he shifted into his muscular form.
"Why are you here?!"
They encountered someone unexpected on the way.
"Aizawa-sensei?!"
Indeed, Aizawa—still in his pajamas—was rushing toward Training Ground B as well.
"Did villains break in?" Masata asked.
"What did the security robots report?"
U.A.'s security was extremely tight.
The campus was filled with surveillance robots that immediately alerted staff.
Tonight, Aizawa was on duty.
"No villains," Aizawa replied irritably.
"It's Midoriya and Bakugo. They're fighting."
His expression was dark.
He had been handling paperwork for the upcoming term when the alert came in.
Two students fighting after hours?
As their homeroom teacher, the responsibility would fall squarely on him.
"Fighting?"
Masata blinked.
"What are those two idiots doing?"
Bakugo had a short fuse, sure—but he'd never actually fought a classmate like this.
At most, he yelled.
And Midoriya?
He was far too gentle.
For things to escalate like this, something serious must have happened.
"It might be because of me," All Might said quietly.
"Bakugo has been blaming himself."
"And I… didn't explain things properly back then."
Two boys who had admired him since childhood.
One was chosen and grew stronger.
The other was captured by villains and nearly killed—only rescued after All Might sacrificed everything.
The imbalance between them had been building for years.
"It might also be the provisional license exam," Masata added.
"Bakugo's the only one in the class who failed."
"With his pride… that probably pushed him over the edge."
As they spoke, they reached the entrance of the training ground.
On the shattered street ahead, Midoriya and Bakugo were locked in battle.
"I'm not your punching bag anymore!"
Masata had expected a one-sided fight.
But the reality surprised him.
They were evenly matched.
Midoriya had refined his "Shoot Style" and was using his legs effectively.
With his analytical mind and growing mastery of One For All, he dodged Bakugo's explosions and countered with precise strikes.
BOOM! BOOM!
Explosions echoed continuously.
Bakugo's flames lit up the night.
Midoriya's green energy glowed brilliantly in return.
"Flashbang!"
Bakugo clapped his hands together.
A blinding burst of light exploded outward.
Midoriya instinctively covered his eyes.
Bakugo seized the moment.
His leg whipped forward, smashing into Midoriya's side.
Midoriya crashed into a steel guardrail.
The metal warped under the impact.
Groaning, he forced himself back up.
"Weren't you saying you weren't my punching bag?"
Bakugo sneered.
But in that instant of pride—
Midoriya accelerated.
A green blur struck Bakugo cleanly and sent him flying.
"It's disgraceful."
"I'm separating them."
Aizawa stepped forward, anger clear in his voice.
But Masata raised a hand to stop him.
"Let them finish."
"There's something between them."
"Midoriya wouldn't fight seriously otherwise."
"They both know their limits."
"All Might and I are here."
"Nothing will go too far."
All Might nodded.
"Igarashi is right."
"If we stop them now, Bakugo's anger might only grow worse."
Aizawa sighed heavily.
Facing their insistence, he finally relented.
The three of them stood silently in the shadows.
Watching.
Waiting for the two boys to decide their outcome.