A five-minute walk away from the main campus, UA built a series of dorms within a week of declaring it so.
Multistoried buildings, one for each class of UA, regardless of their courses, were lined in two rows on one side of the road.
Classes would be starting tomorrow.
Today… it was all about getting settled.
Thinking of the uselessness of waking up so early today, Luke yawned.
As he walked on the road, heading toward the 2-A dorm, students kept turning their heads to look at him.
It wasn't just the girls anymore.
Even the boys were staring at him, half in awe, half in jealousy.
Because of his appearance and being an obvious foreigner, Luke had always stood out.
So, this staring wasn't something new to him. Also, none of the students were astute enough to notice that he had gained more muscle mass during the term break. It wasn't like he had become noticeably taller, either.
It was because of what had happened during the Training Camp and the events that had followed it.
The entire country now knew who Luke was, what his Quirk was, and what role he had played during the Training Camp's Villain incident.
Luke had already left behind a long-lasting impression on the people during last year's School Festival, ridiculing Shigaraki live.
His recent actions, which had forced people out onto the roads in his, Todoroki, and Monoma's favor, had done nothing but add fuel to the fire. It was especially so for him, though. His fan base had grown in the last week so much, in fact, that it even surpassed some of the Pros.
None of this would have been possible if Luke hadn't been strong innately.
But… he was.
He was ridiculously strong.
As if that wasn't a curse already, he didn't look bad, either.
Of course, oblivious to all this, Luke kept yawning, not even bothering to straighten his wild, tousled hair.
So, when a girl blocked his path, he just looked at her, puzzled.
"… yes?" Luke asked, looking down.
Against his height of 6 ft and 3 inches tall, the girl's head barely came up to Luke's abs, her neck craned so back that it looked unnatural.
A crowd had begun gathering around the two of them.
"I…" the girl gulped, taking out a notebook covered in glitter and colors. "… Can I have your autograph, senior?"
[Pfft!]
As Miss Justice laughed in Luke's mind, he gaped at the girl.
That was just the beginning, though.
The moment some of the youngsters realized what was happening, a ruckus took over Luke's surroundings, new admissions storming toward him, all carrying a glow in their eyes.
Looking at this from afar, from the top floor of the school building, Nezu smiled.
All Might, wearing a yellow suit, smiled even broader.
After Dr. Blessed's miraculous intervention, he had regained his health as if All For One had never injured him. Even though he had lost One For All completely, his muscular form had become permanent, and his raw strength rivaled that of many Pros.
All Might hadn't been sure about joining UA, though.
"Are you still sulking over it, All Might?" Nezu asked.
The larger man's lips twitched. "How do you know?"
"It's easy to guess," Nezu said. "The World has lost the Symbol of Peace… The media has had a penchant for exaggerating things. You shouldn't take them to heart."
"They are not wrong, though," All Might said, his broad smile settling into a thin line. "I… am not a Pro anymore."
"You are still a Hero," Nezu reminded him, looking up. "People still need you, even if you have retired. And, more than people, your students need you, All Might. You still have much, much to offer. Your experiences can help them grow faster than any training ever could. It's good that you are not… dying anymore. So, why not use that to our advantage?"
All Might let out a chuckle at that. Then, an even bigger frown replaced that chuckle. "I must clear the matter regarding Dr. Blessed," he said. "Here I am… laughing, while the world is calling him a monster… I…"
"If you want to do that, I will not stop you," Nezu said, shocking All Might. "Yeah. I will not. However, your revealing of any truth regarding Dr. Blessed won't change people's perception of him. Not now."
"… Why?"
"Because you have retired," Nezu said. "No matter what you say, half the world will continue to blame Dr. Blessed for it. Here's the thing… You can focus on the other half. The half that doubts, but does not reject, the words Dr. Blessed had left behind that day. The words that claim you are a testament to this… Mr. Fool's benevolence. I guess, if that's what Dr. Blessed's after, then he would be more than thankful to you."
"That's… brilliant!" All Might gaped at Nezu, stunned. "Did your Quirk experience another awakening or something?"
"Haha!" Nezu laughed. Then, letting out a breath, he sighed. "The dorm system is not just about students' safety, remember. We also need to find out the leak. Painful it may seem, but… we cannot help but suspect our own students."
All Might nodded.
"A call is here! A phone call is here!" the phone rang.
All Might hurriedly took out his mobile. "Hello?"
Suddenly, his blue eyes widened so much that even Nezu got spooked.
"It was from the hospital," All Might said, cutting the call, already turning around. "They just found Gran Torino in a bed… covered in Tarot cards!"
As All Might and Nezu ran to the hospital, the crowd near the dorms had already dispersed.
By the time Luke finally reached the 2-A dorm, all the students had already gathered in front of the building.
Luke looked past the students and found Aizawa glaring at him.
Surprisingly, both looked similar, despite the obvious difference in their appearance.
Dark bags under their eyes.
Sleepy, lethargic look.
Annoyed.
"I guess now that the latecomer has joined us, I can properly begin," Erasure Head said, looking at the same, but… changed faces. "I am glad for you all to make it to the 2nd Year of UA's Hero Course. Let's hope…
"… I will not have to expel any of you this year… for real."