The days slipped by quickly. Tsutsumi and Jiro spent most of their time together, eating, lounging, and doing absolutely nothing productive, until the day of their training camp finally arrived.
Tsutsumi had completely forgotten about it. If Jiro hadn't reminded him, he might have just skipped it entirely to play mother and son with Hoshimi Miyabi.
But before that, Jiro had a request.
"Let's go to the school pool," she said. "One last day of peace before training camp starts."
Tsutsumi thought about it for a moment. A quiet day in the sun didn't sound so bad. He agreed.
"Tsutsumi-kun! Jiro-chan!"
A cheerful voice called out as they arrived. Hagakure waved at them enthusiastically, or at least, her school swimsuit floated in the air and waved for her.
Tsutsumi gave a small nod in greeting, scanning the area.
Even though time had passed since the last exam, most of Class 1-A still hadn't forgiven him. The final test had gotten much harder all because of him.
"Melissa?" Tsutsumi muttered, noticing the familiar blonde standing beside Yaoyorozu.
"Hello," Melissa greeted with her usual bright smile, giving a small wave.
"What are you doing here?" Jiro asked, surprised.
"Didn't you see the group message?" Yaoyorozu tilted her head slightly. "Melissa's transferring here as a student in the support course."
Jiro blinked, thinking back to the last week of lazy movie marathons and long naps on the couch with Tsutsumi. She hadn't checked her phone once.
"No," Jiro admitted flatly.
Everyone turned toward Tsutsumi.
"Notifications off," he said simply, taking a sip from his drink.
A collective sigh went around the pool.
"No wonder we can't reach you," Asui said drily.
Then came the familiar boom of explosions.
Without turning around, Tsutsumi reached for a card.
Attack Ride: Dark Shadow!
From his back, a mass of living shadow burst forth, forming two enormous bat-like wings that blocked Bakugo's incoming blast. Steam and smoke scattered across the poolside.
Tsutsumi smirked. "Yo. Long time no see, Katsuki."
Bakugo landed with a grin, hands still crackling with smoke. "Tch. Even Birdface's quirk gets stronger when you're using it, Ryoko."
The grin didn't hide the challenge in his eyes filled with rivalry and grudging respect.
Then came a wave of ice sliding fast across the tiles.
Attack Ride: Glyphs!
Tsutsumi raised a hand, summoning a glowing glyph that formed into a translucent barrier, blocking the ice. More glyphs materialized behind him, firing a barrage of ice spikes toward Todoroki.
Todoroki answered instantly, raising a wall of fire that melted the shards midair.
"Another powerful Quirk…" Todoroki muttered. "You really have grown stronger, Ryoko."
Tsutsumi chuckled, unbothered. "I'd say the same, Shoto."
Then, Jiro's foot slammed into Tsutsumi's side.
"Knock it off!" she yelled.
He didn't even resist, just let himself fall backward into the pool with a splash.
Water rippled, laughter following.
"We came here to relax," Jiro said, crossing her arms. "Not start World War IV."
As Tsutsumi resurfaced, shaking water from his hair, Asui tilted her head. "Hey, did you guys notice? Tsutsumi-kun, Bakugo-kun, and Todoroki-kun all call each other by their first names now."
Melissa smiled knowingly. "They got close after what happened on I-Island."
Although what happened on I-Island was not made public knowledge, that explanation seemed to do the trick for everyone. The tension faded, replaced by laughter and splashing as the group settled into the mood.
Even Tsutsumi, who usually avoided large crowds, found himself sitting by the poolside, watching Hagakure laugh as Jiro dunked Yaoyorozu into the water.
For a moment, everything was… normal.
Until Aizawa appeared at the pool's entrance, telling them their time for using the pool was over.
The next day marked the start of the U.A. Summer Training Camp.
Aizawa gathered everyone before departure, explaining that this camp was meant to push their Quirks beyond their limits, to sharpen their bodies and minds.
To go Plus Ultra!
Tsutsumi had originally planned to skip it.
That changed when Aizawa, being ignored in chat for days, finally snapped after he @'d him multiple times before posting a message that chilled the entire class:
"@All If @TsutsumiRyoko doesn't show up, everyone will do 18-hour study sessions for the entire camp."
The reaction was immediate.
The class @'d Jiro repeatedly, begging her to drag Tsutsumi there herself.
So now, here he was, standing among his classmates as they prepared to board the bus.
Everyone seemed in good spirits, buzzing with excitement. Nearby, a loud blonde from Class 1-B, Monoma, was making a fool of himself bragging about how 1-A got "extra remedial lessons."
Kendo knocked him out before he could finish his sentence.
Then, a floating head with sharp teeth and messy green hair hovered beside him.
"Yo! Name's Tokage Setsuna. Nice to meet ya," she said confidently.
"Tsutsumi Ryoko," he replied without flinching. "Nice to meet you too."
Jiro gave a subtle thumbs-up, pulling her earphone jack away from his neck.
"Hello…" said another voice softly, a silver-haired girl from 1-B, bangs covering one eye. The rest of the girls followed with polite nods, each curious to see the infamous "irresponsible Class President" of 1-A.
Nearby, Minate and multiple boys from 1-A and 1-B look at Tsutsumi with hostile glares, mostly due to jealousy rather than anything else.
Soon, 1-A all boarded the bus, due to Tsutsumi dropping all the responsibility to Yaoyorozu, and when he was around, he wasn't exactly strict, letting them sit however they wanted.
The bus was filled with chatter. Looking back, Aizawa noticed the Tsutsumi, Bakugo, and Todoroki were sitting in the back together, all wearing glasses, arms crossed, and not saying anything.
He found it a bit odd seeing those three wearing glasses, despite their eyesight being completely normal.
These were the Masks they used to disguise themselves as the Phantom Thieves of Hope, now in their glasses mode, the three were playing Minecraft together while waiting to reach their destination.
[Shoto]: Katsuki, where is my iron?
Bakugo, wearing a full set of iron armor, simply typed.
[Katsuki]: Maybe Ryoko took them
Tsutsumi, 2,072 blocks away from spawn, typed.
[Ryoko]: ???
The three of them didn't need a regular setup to play, since their glasses are directly linked to their mind upon wearing, and register only to them. So they can see what their character is seeing through their lenses and can control them using their mind, like they were the characters themselves.
Melissa also discovered this function of the Mask and wanted to open it up to see how Tsutsumi even made it, but fearing that it might anger her friend, and that she might not be able to put it back together. So she didn't do so without his permission first.
[Katsuki was blown up by Creeper]
Both Todoroki and Tsutsumi saw the death message and chose to ignore it and return to doing their own things, with Todoroki working on building their house and Tsutsumi continuing to explore the world.
"Hmm, stone brick actually looks better." Todoroki murmurs, using his pickaxe to break the Cobblestone and replace it with Stone Brick. "Katsuki, we're out of iron. Can you get more while you're in the mine?"
"NO!" Bakugo shouted, opening the chest to take some material out. He crafted a stone sword and stormed into the mine.
Once Bakugo was out of the proximity, Todoroki simply opened the chat.
[Shoto]: We're out of Iron
[Shoto]: Can you guys bring some back?
[Ryoko]: Sure
[Ryoko]: As soon as I find where home is
[Katsuki]: I'M ALREADY ON IT!!
[Katsuki hit the ground too hard while trying to escape Creeper]
[Katsuki]: DAMN IT!
Todoroki looked up just in time to see Bakugo running past him, wordlessly charging back into the mine.
Back in the real world, Aizawa decided not to bother the three, seeing how quiet they were.
By the time they reached the so-called "rest area," their bus was still far from the actual destination of the training camp.
Aizawa stood, deadpan as always. "Everyone off."
The students exchanged confused looks but obeyed.
Nearby, a sleek black car stopped, and a cheerful voice called out, "Hey, Eraser!"
Aizawa gave a tired nod. "It's been a while."
Three figures stepped out.
"Lock on with these sparkling gazes!" announced the first, a short-haired brunette in a cat-themed hero outfit, complete with paw gloves, a headband with ears, and a swishing brown tail.
"Stingingly cute and catlike!" followed the second, a tall blonde in matching gear, her blue-and-white tail flicking behind her.
They struck a pose together. "Wild, Wild… Pussycats!"
Standing beside them was a small boy with a red hat and an expression that said he'd rather be anywhere else.
While 1-A stared in confusion, Aizawa began his introduction. "These are pro heroes who'll be working with us during the camp, the Pussycats."
Midoriya immediately lit up. "They're a four-person hero team who founded a joint agency! A veteran group that specializes in mountain rescues!"
The Pussycats blinked, impressed by his enthusiasm.
"This year will be their twelfth workin-" His words were cut short by the blonde woman grabbing his face and looking at him angrily.
"I'm eighteen at heart!"
You could hear the desperation in her tone.
Recovering, the brunette spread her arms dramatically toward the dense forest. "We own this whole stretch of land!"
Then she pointed off into the endless green. "You'll be staying at the foot of that mountain."
The students followed her gaze. The "mountain" was so far away it looked like it belonged in another time zone.
"Huh? Then why did we stop here?" Uraraka asked, already nervous.
"Could this mean…" Asui murmured.
"No way…" Sato added with a sweatdrop.
"Maybe we should just… get back on the bus?" Sero suggested hopefully.
As the class slowly realized what was about to happen, panic began to build.
Meanwhile, the Big Three of Class 1-A, Tsutsumi, Bakugo, and Todoroki, were still busy in their own world.
"Katsuki, you need to stop dying with all of our valuables," Todoroki said evenly.
"Shut it! It's not my fault there are so many damn mobs!" Bakugo barked, still angry about losing his loot.
"Want me to lower the difficulty?" Tsutsumi asked casually.
"Don't you dare! Doing that kills the fun!" Bakugo shot back.
Then the ground rumbled.
A massive wave of earth rose beneath their feet, sending the entire class screaming into the air and over the cliff.
Flames burst from Todoroki's left side as he shifted his footing, balancing himself midair.
Bakugo detonated explosions to stabilize himself.
Tsutsumi's coat tails detached and unfolded into sleek metal panels, forming a floating platform beneath him.
Jiro clung tightly around his torso, legs crossed, hands gripping his shoulders. "I made it…" she sighed, half in relief, half in disbelief.
The blonde Pussycat looked up, impressed. "You four actually managed to dodge?"
Aizawa rubbed his temple. "This is part of the camp. Get down there and don't help your classmates too much. They'll get too reliant on you."
The four exchanged looks, then shrugged and descended.
"Your students are strong, Eraser," one Pussycat said.
"I know," Aizawa replied.
When the trio landed, Jiro finally slid off Tsutsumi's back, cheeks faintly pink.
Then a voice echoed through the forest, amplified by Quirk.
"Feel free to use your Quirks! You have three hours to reach the facility! Make it through... The Beast's Forest!"
The class froze.
Somewhere nearby, Mineta bolted for cover to find a place to pee until the ground bulged beneath him and an earthen monster emerged, roaring in his face. Mineta screamed and promptly wet himself.
Before anyone could react, Midoriya leapt forward and cracked part of the creature's head with a single punch.
The shockwave sent dirt flying as he lept back.
The rest of the class just gawked, seeing that he didn't break his limb using his Quirk.
Tsutsumi watched, completely unfazed. His calm reaction didn't go unnoticed; several of his friends exchanged knowing looks.
They'd already figured it out.
Tsutsumi had unlocked Midoriya's Quirk and probably taught him how to use it the right way.