Luke looked at the Pros and his father, knowing the time of reckoning had come.
U.A. hadn't shared the true reason behind suspending him, Todoroki, and Monoma with anyone, including the Class 1-A students.
However, Luke had easily decrypted it.
First, no matter how much the school tried to hide it, there was always a chance that what happened at the Training Camp would get out. Once that happened, not only would it tarnish U.A.'s reputation, but it would also erode people's trust in the school's impartial system. There were even chances that people would outright demand the children's expulsion, ending their Hero careers before it could even begin.
So, U.A. had no choice but to reveal the matter themselves.
And if they had to do it anyway, then why not reveal everything?
There was no denying that the three children had indeed disobeyed the teachers. But their work in the field, which saved so many lives, outweighed their rebellious actions by miles.
If that was indeed the case, then it meant that U.A. must bring radical changes to its policy regarding the use of Quirks by students under extraordinary circumstances.
Of course, if U.A. had said it itself, then people would have considered the school was walking toward a militaristic system.
So, it was better to make the people demand this of U.A. by creating sympathy for the children, instead.
Whoever came up with all this was nothing short of a genius.
And Luke knew only one person who was capable of it — Principal Nezu.
That's why, ever since U.A. had sent him back to the Saionji Mansion, he knew that the real punishment would definitely come for him… before the start of the next term.
As he looked at the people surrounding him, Luke confirmed it was finally here.
All Might, Erasure Head, and Sand were all dressed in formal clothes — white shirts and trousers with ties, while Mr. Reijirou was dressed in a neat blue suit.
All men were eyeing Luke with the same gaze.
Concern.
Luke's face had a whitish appearance as if he had lost all his blood. His eyes were sunken, and his blue pupils lacked the glint they often carried. There was a distinct feebleness about him, which the joke he had made failed to hide.
All Might, standing to Luke's right, suddenly lifted his fist and punched.
A bam rang as Luke almost flipped over the bed, Sand's and Erasure Head's eyes popping out.
Mr. Reijirou, standing to Luke's left, put away his hand… which had also become a fist.
"Have you lost your mind?!" All Might roared. "What were you thinking?! Who do you take after for you to attack your teachers and disobey orders?!"
Luke rubbed his face as if a cushioned hammer had struck there.
He moved his jaw several times, but the feeling didn't go away.
Luke held his chin and looked up at All Might before his eyes went to Erasure Head, Sand, and then landed on his father. His chest rose and fell as if he wanted to say something.
Then, he put his head down. "I… am sorry."
A smile bloomed on the men's faces.
Erasure Head was the first to kill that smile. "If it were in my hand, I would have expelled you right away," he said, meaning every word of the sentence. "What you did was nothing but… foolish. If, for once, you think that you did something heroic, then you are even a bigger fool than before.
"So many things could have gone wrong. Instead of convincing me and Vlad King even harder, you succumbed to using force… Look me in the eyes and say that you truly think it was something a Hero would have done!"
Luke instead pressed his chin even deeper into his chest.
None of the men tried to stop Erasure Head from reprimanding Luke. He was Luke's homeroom teacher and had every right to correct a strayed student back onto the path.
"U.A. is turning into a boarding school," Erasure Head said, making Luke look up. "It is as much for student safety as it is to keep an eye on them. If you can't hold yourself back and act within the rules, then it's better if you drop out right here and now."
Luke licked his lips.
Erasure Head sighed, shaking his head. "You, Todoroki, and Monoma…" he said, more slowly than ever, "… are debarred from applying for the Provisional Hero License Exam this semester."
A silence fell in the room, and the men looked at a shocked Luke.
But still, the boy said nothing, silently accepting the punishment.
"Alright," All Might suddenly said, smiling. "That's enough of a scolding. Much more than you gave Todoroki and Monoma."
Luke looked at the retired Pro. "Has everyone accepted the boarding school idea, Sir?"
All Might instantly winced, remembering how he had to bang his head in front of Midoriya's mom only hours before. "… Yeah," he said. "Don't worry. All your classmates' parents have agreed to it."
"Alright, rest," said Erasure Head, his mind cooling off a bit. "We need to visit Sir Nighteye, too."
Alarm bells rang instantly in Luke's head. "Sir Nighteye is here?!"
Aizawa nodded. "… He woke up at almost the same time as you."
As they began leaving, All Might lagged behind a bit. "Midoriya told me what happened at the Training Camp," he said. "We will discuss it later."
"… Is your Quirk truly gone?" Luke asked.
All Might sighed before nodding with a smile, flexing his muscles. "I traded the Quirk for good health… Not bad, huh? Haha!"
Then, laughing, the Symbol of Peace walked away.
Luke put his head down and instantly began decrypting the matter related to Sir Nighteye.
It was then, out of nowhere, that a hand landed on his shoulder.
Luke looked up and found his father looking at him with clear eyes.
"Thank you…" the old man said.
"Huh?" Luke's brows pressed together.
"Thank you…" Mr. Reijirou Saionji repeated with a smile, his fingers shaking as they rested on Luke's shoulder. "… for saving the world, son."
Then, leaving behind a stunned boy, the tycoon with Soothsayer Quirk walked out of the room.
And this time, when Luke looked down to continue decryption, all he saw was a white sheet… stained with drops of water.