Chapter 42: Summer vacation
The sound of metal lockers clanging echoed through the changing room as steam lingered faintly from the post-training showers. The boys of Class 1-A were swapping out their hero suits for school uniforms, sweat still clinging to their brows after the rigorous exercise.
Kirishima flopped onto the bench with a grin, towel slung around his neck. "Man, that rescue race was no joke! Those pipes make you sweat!"
"Speak for yourself," Kaminari groaned as he pulled on his shirt. "It's not even fair when Harue's burning through the course like a fighter jet. Dude's basically a cheat code!"
Harue smirked a little from where he was tying his uniform tie. "You guys are just slow."
"Bro," Sero added with a laugh, "you're flying and on fire at the same time. That's not exactly easy to beat."
As laughter echoed around the room, Midoriya sat silently at his locker, towel draped around his shoulders. He stared blankly at the floor, lost in thought. All Might's words from earlier kept replaying in his head.
"There's something important we need to talk about. The origin of One For All."
His brows furrowed. He didn't even notice Mineta creep toward the wall near the back of the room, crouched behind a poster of Mt. Lady.
"Heh heh… guys…" Mineta whispered dramatically. "Guess what I found under this poster? A tiny little hole… and on the other side? I think it's the girls' locker room."
Several heads turned.
"Mineta—" Kirishima started, but the purple-haired boy was already pressing his eye to the hole.
"Just a peek—! I'll be careful!"
But before his eye could even get close, a firm hand gripped the back of his collar and pulled him away.
"ACK—?!"
Mineta dangled slightly off the ground, arms flailing as he looked up to see Harue, lips pressed in a firm, disapproving line.
"Seriously?" Harue said, his voice calm but sharp. "You're going to pull this kind of stunt? What kind of hero do you think you're becoming like this?"
"W-Wait—I wasn't gonna actually—!"
"Mineta," Kirishima said, walking over quickly and placing a hand on Harue's shoulder. "Hey, man. Let's just—breathe. Okay? He's being a creep, yeah, but you don't need to get rough."
Harue glanced at Kirishima, jaw tense. He exhaled through his nose and dropped Mineta back down to the floor.
"Fine," he muttered, brushing past.
Mineta stumbled back, eyes wide.
Harue turned to the wall and raised one hand. With a flick of his wrist, he released a small controlled stream of flame, just enough to melt and seal the hole beneath the poster. It fused with the concrete, leaving no trace of the voyeur's path.
"That's the end of it," Harue said, not looking at anyone.
The room was silent. Even Kaminari had nothing to say.
Kirishima stepped forward again, looking between the others and Mineta, who was now crouched and red-faced. "Let this be a lesson, okay? This isn't a joke. If it was someone outside our class doing this, they'd be in big trouble."
"…I get it," Mineta mumbled, clutching his knees.
As the boys went back to dressing, a few shook their heads, others quietly muttered, but no one defended him.
Across the wall, muffled as it was, the girls' side had definitely heard the commotion.
"Did… something happen?" Tsuyu blinked.
"I think someone got caught being a creep," Jiro muttered.
Momo frowned slightly. "I think Harue stopped him."
On the other side of the room, Mina had her arms crossed with a satisfied smile. "That's Harue, saving us from that creep!" she said with a proud little bounce.
Then she glanced sideways, noticing a few of the girls whispering and blushing at the mention of Harue's name.
Her eye twitched.
They better back off.
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As their short break came to an end, the students of Class 1-A returned to their classroom. The chatter was lighter now, the rush of adrenaline from training giving way to post-exercise calm.
Midoriya sat a little straighter than usual, his eyes focused, jaw firm. The talk with All Might weighed heavily on his mind, but not with dread — with resolve. Something about him had shifted, Harue noticed.
Harue, meanwhile, leaned back in his seat, arms crossed, golden eyes flicking toward Mineta, who now sat unusually still in his corner of the room, making himself smaller. He hadn't said a word since the locker room incident and actively avoided looking in Harue's direction. The fire user didn't care to press him. Lesson learned — at least for now.
The sliding door creaked open, drawing everyone's attention. Aizawa walked in, cocooned in his capture scarf, face as unreadable as ever.
"Settle down."
The class quieted.
"We're nearing the end of the first term. That means… summer break is approaching."
The words were met with instant cheer — excited gasps, delighted grins, and a few celebratory fist pumps.
"But don't get ahead of yourselves," Aizawa added dryly. "This isn't vacation time. You'll be going to a summer training camp in the mountains. It'll be a school-sponsored trip, yes, but it's meant to push you further as hero students. Your progress during internships and field training will be put to the test."
That only fired the class up more.
"A lodge in the woods?" Kaminari leaned forward in excitement. "Dude, that sounds awesome!"
"I hope there's a hot spring," Sero grinned.
"It sounds fun!" Mina beamed, bouncing in her seat.
"Fun's not the priority," Aizawa interrupted flatly. "This camp is optional. If you fail the end-of-term exams, you don't go. You'll stay behind and attend remedial classes while your classmates move ahead."
Silence.
A collective groan swept across the room.
"Seriously?" Kaminari whined.
"Man, I better start studying…" Kirishima muttered to himself.
As students broke into small, nervous conversations, Harue didn't join in.
He sat there, brow furrowed, eyes slightly narrowed as something — no, someone — flickered through his mind.
The next challenge was coming and he had to be prepared.
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Elsewhere — In the Shadows
A dimly lit chamber, silent but for the rhythmic pulses of machines keeping a monstrous man alive. All For One sat in his custom chair, his body still but exuding the heavy presence of something ancient and powerful — something that refused to die.
Wires and tubes pulsed with life-giving fluids, hissing faintly in the stale air. Before him stood Dr. Garaki, the faithful old scientist, hunched over a screen, a glimmer of unease in his eyes.
"All vital systems are stable," Garaki said carefully. "You've responded well to the latest cellular regeneration treatments."
All For One didn't respond, only tilted his head slightly, as if bored.
Garaki continued. "As for Stain — the Hero Killer has been apprehended. Caught by Endeavor, if you can believe it."
The villain exhaled slowly, more like a sigh of indifference.
"A misguided idealist… ultimately a pawn. Useful in chaos, but not long-term."
Garaki hesitated before continuing, clearly knowing where this was going.
"Also for your other request… I've received another update from our operative in U.A."
That got his attention.
The blackened dome of All For One's helmet tilted slightly, like a predator perking up at the scent of prey.
"Tell me," he rasped.
Garaki adjusted his glasses. "It's regarding the boy. The one from the Sports Festival."
A pause.
"Harue Dai."
"I know the name," the villain murmured. "The fire user."
Garaki nodded. "Yes. I've had them monitoring him closely. His Quirk… It's drawn your attention more than most."
All For One's voice was like a low growl, intrigued and calculating. "It's not ordinary. The power he exerts… the control he wields… it's unnatural for a student."
He leaned forward ever so slightly.
"I want that Quirk."
Garaki frowned. "With respect, the information gathered so far is… lacking. Surface-level at best. The spy has only been able to report what's visible during school events and training sessions. Heat levels, flight patterns, some theoretical limits — nothing conclusive."
"Then they're useless," All For One snapped, his voice flaring with quiet anger. "This isn't just some combustion-based Quirk. I've seen many of those. This one — it's deeper. It behaves like something awakened. No typical training can account for what I saw during that final match."
Garaki nodded hesitantly. "You believe it might be a mutation? Or… Awakening?"
All For One didn't answer right away.
He simply sat back in his chair, metal fingers tapping slowly against the armrest.
"If opportunity permits…" he finally said, voice smooth like poison, "I will take it."
A long silence stretched.
"But for now," he muttered, "have our operative dig deeper. I want more than power level estimates. I want insight. Weaknesses. Personality. Relationships. Anything that tells me how that boy functions."
Garaki bowed his head. "I'll relay the orders."
"Good," All For One said, settling back into the shadows once more.
"Harue Dai… Let's see what makes you burn."
End of the chapter.