I own nothing. Warning, may contain Out of Character moments.

After the end of the Cavalry Battle, the Sports Festival proceeded to the one hour lunch break. And after all the excitement of the first half, it was a much needed respite for both the audience and the participants. However, there was still a commotion occurring on the stadium grounds. But one look at the scene and anyone could understand why it was happening.

"M-Mineta-kun?" Midoriya asked, sweat rolling down the side of his face.

"Yeah?"

"Are… Are you okay?"

"Fine, why do you ask?"

"Umm… Not to put this too bluntly… But…" Midoriya began, unable to vocalize his concerns as he gestured towards his friend's right half. And to anyone's abject horror, it was completely infested with all sorts of fungi of many shapes and colors. From the bottom of his sneakers to the top of his head, Mineta's right half was almost entirely mushrooms.

Since the end of the Cavalry Battle, the mushrooms have grown just a little more before finally stopping. And while Mineta was glad that he won't become fungi food anytime soon… His current appearance is something that's left to be desired. But it wasn't all bad. Maybe if this sight gets retold enough, he'll become an urban legend that'll live on for several decades.

He always wanted to be a cryptid, mostly since its one step up from pest.

"Are these even edible?" Kaminari asked, picking a mushroom from Mineta's jersey. Their class sweet tooth, Satou, began to taking a closer examination at the infestation that had overtaken the shorter boy. And after a few seconds, he simply nodded but his expression was very skeptical.

"All of them are. But I wouldn't eat them, it's unnaturally grown." He said. Kaminari looked at the mushroom in his hand before proceeding to toss the thing over his shoulder.

"If that's the case, then let's get these off of Mineta-san right away. Take a bottle of fungicides everyone." Yaoyorozu said as she began generating little bottles from her skin.

"I'm fine guys! Really! If I wasn't, I'd probably be drugged out of my mind right now." Mineta replied, holding his arms out. That was when a small mushroom grew on each of his fingers. He stared at the little nightmares before hearing a little giggle to his right. And turning in that direction, he saw the girl with the mushroom bob that gave him his condition.

"Stop! He's been through enough already!" Iida shouted, making his usual arm gestures towards her.

"Oops, sorry." She said with a laugh before walking off. But despite that, Mineta felt like she wasn't apologizing at all. It was as though she was messing with them. Note to future self, avoid anyone from 1B. They're a little crazy.

"Alright, let's just get this stuff off him and move on." Jirou said as she took a bottle from Yaoyorozu.

"Wait, is this even safe to apply directly onto a person?" Iida asked, examining the bottle. His fellow class representative simply nodded as she continued to hand the bottles out.

"You don't have to worry Iida-san. This compound is of my own design and it is both safe on humans and environmentally friendly."

A hum of awe resounded through the air as the present 1A members received a bottle of fungicide. For Mineta, he couldn't imagine the amount of studying and experimentation that went into making that. He had always known that Yayorozu was smart, just from academic performance on her own. But when it comes to using her Quirk, only now did he realize the amount of knowledge required to use it.

I mean, Mineta had only seen her making basic constructs like cannons or steel rods. How could he have known Yaoyorozu could make things like this?

"Thinking about it, all the steel stuff Yaomomo creates doesn't buckle easily. That kind of quality could only be gotten with knowledge on metallurgy… I wonder what other bits of knowledge she has stored away in that pretty head of hers." Mineta thought as he felt something get sprayed onto his right side. The fungal nightmare that had overtaken him began shrivel and fall off his body. And in just several moments, Mineta was free of the mushroom infestation.

He still felt a little numb in the affected area though.

"Now that's over with, could you please get this off me Mineta-chan?" Tsuyu asked, pointing at the hairball still stuck to her forehead. The shorter boy immediately went over to his amphibious classmate and began the removal process. Stroking the area between Tsuyu's skin and the ball itself, the two surfaces began to separate little by little. It was time consuming, but at least it wouldn't leave any sort of mark.

Or so he hoped since he did pull at it while under Shinso's hypnosis.

It was here that he began to notice that Tsuyu's skin was slick. And looking closer, there was a strange sheen to it. Almost as though there was some sort of slime being secreted from her pores.

"Tsuyu? What's with the slime?" Mineta asked, trying his hardest to not seem unsettled.

"It's mucus. I thought it might help, so I began secreting it."

"Okay, it's just a bit sudden." Mineta replied as he continued to work. He couldn't help but feel the thing again and formulate comments in his head. Now that the boy knew what it was, he focused on the qualities of the substance. The mucus wasn't sticky at all and was actually slippery in a really nice way. What it was useful for, Mineta couldn't say. But at the very least, he knew that Tsuyu came pre-lubed.

…

Wait, what?

"This is not the time!" Mineta thought. He immediately emptied his thoughts to prevent his face from flushing and his pants from partying. And while succeeded in those two tasks, his entire posture made him look more rigid than Iida. But the worst of it has to come.

Since, to his utter dismay, Tsuyu noticed the change in his demeanor.

"Mineta-chan? You okay?"

"Uhh, yeah, I just a shower thought. You know, one of those random ideas that are just crazy and out of nowhere. That's what happened. Heh, heh, heh…" Mineta said with an awkward chuckle. That was real convincing there Minoru… Real convincing…

"Oh… I see." Tsuyu replied. The pauses between her words were far too long for Mineta to ignore, even if he physically reacted. It really made all their previous interactions a hotbed of paranoia. Like how much was his classmate able to deduce his true nature? Or what she would do with that knowledge once she confirms it.

It really made his soul uneasy.

"Maybe I'm over thinking it. Tsuyu's a good person; she won't expose something this insignificant. In fact, I'd probably shoot myself in the foot before she utters a single word about me." Mineta thought, purging the feeling from his body. And with that, he finally got his hairball off of Tsuyu's head. Now that was out of the way, maybe they all can–

"Midoriya! How could not call that cheating!? I thought you were supposed to be the good guy!"

Oh God, what's going on now? Looking over to the next source of commotion, he could see Midoriya cornered by an irate looking Tooru and Mina. Some of the others were also not stepping in, most likely trying to see where this goes. So with one look to Tsuyu, the two began to make their approach. And it didn't take much for the two, exasperated girls to jump at them.

"I mean look at that! How can you call that fair!?" Mina shouted, pointing at the headband/hairball bundle in Mineta's hand. Don't tell me they are arguing about the validity of his strategy? Well, Mineta supposed this was coming to head one way or another. He just didn't think it would be Midoriya who ended up with the short end of the stick.

"Well, Midnight-sensei didn't say anything…" Midoriya said, nervousness clearly going up. He needed someone to tag him out before he gets overwhelmed by this mess. And as great as it was that his partner was managing to talk to girls, this was not what Mineta had in mind.

"Yeah guys, if the referee didn't say anything about it, then it's fair." Mineta agreed, stepping in to assist his partner. It was then that the Tooru and Mina pointed at him, eyes burning with the sort of frustration you see in professional gamers. AKA salt.

"You're the one on trial here! So you don't get a say in this!"

"Excus– TRIAL!?" Mineta asked, jaw completely leaving the confines of his head. Tsuyu stepped forward to his defense. Though before she could even get a single word out, the two girls were now pointing at her as well. Wow, they must be really upset to not even let their friend say anything.

"You and Shouji were accomplices! So you don't get any say either!"

"Guys, really? I know it was underhanded, but you don't have to ostracize them like that. Not only that, don't you remember what Aizawa-sensei said during the battle?" Uraraka said, finally taking the defense with Midoriya. Both Tooru and Mina went quiet. But it was clear that neither of them were too fond of what their teacher had said. Mostly since one could clearly see the pouts on their faces, especially Tooru despite her invisibility.

"I know what he said… But that doesn't mean we have to like it…" She grumbled.

"But you get where it's coming from yeah? Aizawa-sensei only wants us to succeed where others have failed. So that means using every card in the deck. Though I shouldn't be the one talking since I haven't gone with the first strategy I came up with…" Midoriya said, regaining some of his resolve. Mineta raised an eyebrow to that, his partner had another plan? And luckily for him, someone decided to vocalize his curiosity for him.

"You had another strategy? Was it as cheap as Mineta's?" Jirou asked.

"Uhhh… Well… Yes." Midoriya said as his presence shrunk once more under all the scrutiny.

"Eh? It's that bad? But Mineta-kun wasn't on our team. What cheat could we have pulled with just me, Tokoyami-kun, and that Mei girl?" Uraraka asked, looking over at him.

"I would only need your Quirk to make it work. If I was more confident in pushing the rules, I would've asked you to make me float and send me as high as I'm allowed to go. That way, I can safely sit above the battlefield and no one can reach me." Midoriya explained. 1A stared silently at their classmate. And as the seconds passed, the awkward tension that the green haired boy created was about to explode.

That was until Mineta said something, although it was not what the others wanted to hear.

"There's a problem with that plan Midoriya. What if Bakugou chased you up there? Even if you could defend yourself, you'd be in trouble the moment he takes the headband off you. If I was on your team, I would say we go for my plan."

And before someone else could interject, Midoriya shook his head and looked at his friend head on. There was a fire burning in his eyes. It was a determination that matched the roar hidden within his gentle voice.

"But would your plan really dissuade Todoroki-kun? He did freeze your hairballs earlier, with precision too. So even if he was fighting me, he'd only needed to touch it every so often until it freezes and breaks off. I'm confident in my new ability, but I can't even hope to hold him back for the entire event. So I'll hold my stance on my plan, Mineta-kun."

His logic was sound; the shorter boy could admit that much. Todoroki was, in fact, capable of freezing his hairballs and only the hairballs. If he wasn't able to, Bakugou wouldn't be able to continue in the Sports Festival due to frostbite. But that is where his acknowledgements ended, because Mineta knew his friend's plan had a flaw.

"But you feel like you can go against Bakugou the whole way? On your own?" He argued.

"I know Kacchan better than Todoroki-kun, so yes. I know it sounds unlikely, but he's also on his own with only his Quirk to keep him up. And I'm not on my own; I have Uraraka-san's power with me. Failing that, I also had a jet pack that Hatsumei-san gave me."

"This is Bakugou we're talking about. You're going to need a little more than two things to win against him. If my ball was stuck to your face, he wouldn't be… Able… To do…" Mineta began before slowing down. Hang on, that's an idea they hadn't considered. The shorter boy looked to his partner and the same realization came over him. The two made eye contact once more and it went from a discord to a resonance.

"What if we combined our plans?" Mineta asked quickly.

"Kacchan can't do anything without deliberately injuring me… And Todoroki-kun wouldn't be able to reach me at all… It's literally unbeatable…" Midoriya mumbled loudly.

"You're a genius!" Both of then shouted with a cheer.

"No! Not genius! That's by far the most evil thing I've ever heard!" Mina shouted. Oh right, they were in the middle of their classmates. That's the thing with them, if he and Midoriya get into a deep discussion, then they tune everything and everyone out. It wasn't a good habit at all, especially among friends. But Mineta couldn't help it. For so long, it was just them and no one else.

Now that they had classmates that gave a damn, Mineta and Midoriya had to take care not to exclude them.

"I wouldn't say that idea's pure evil… But I would suggest refraining from using that sort of trickery on friends and allies." Yaoyorozu replied, warily eyeing them. Ah shit, it was happening wasn't it? The downfall of whatever reputation they built up. Mineta began to shudder as he pictured how he and his partner would once more be out casted from 1A. But while he couldn't imagine everyone completely abandoning them, they wouldn't be overtly fond of them.

He could be wrong though. Mineta was hoping he was wrong about how they thought about them.

"Then it's settled! No cheap tricks on friends ever again! Go it?" Tooru said as she loomed over Mineta. And while he couldn't tell how her face looked exactly, the shorter boy knew not to push his luck. He already made a lot of risks today, no need to add a tally to the count.

"Perfectly."

"Then all is right in the world. Now let's go eat." She said, shifting back to her usual bubbly state. The invisible girl proceeded to march off. The others of 1A gave a small wave before they all went off as well. Only Iida, Uraraka, Tsuyu, and Kaminari stayed behind to continue conversing with Mineta and Midoriya.

"Let's get going shall we? After all the excitement, I'm sure you're all feeling quite peckish." Iida said, directing the group with his gestures.

"You bet class pres, I need good recharge after everything." Kaminari said with a nod.

"But it's a shame; I didn't get to see the hot blooded duel between fate bound men." Uraraka sighed, absolute disappointment riding her breath. Everyone looked at her, eyebrows raised due to the wording of that statement. As for Mineta, he realized where this was coming from. But it didn't stop him from expressing his confused distaste.

"Excuse me?"

"What are you going about Ochako-chan? And who are these two men you're referring to?" Tsuyu asked as she began retying her hair back into its usual style. Uraraka then began pointing at Mineta and Midoriya, causing the others to stare between them. It took all of one second to become awkward as the latter began act all sorts of sheepish. As for Mineta, he didn't try to show any reaction.

Because one, it would make things even more awkward for everyone. And two, it would cause others to take their friendship the wrong way. Midoriya was his best friend and partner. But not THEE best friend and partner.

"I'm talking about Deku-kun and Mineta-kun silly. When we were making our teams, those two went into this whole spiel about competing against each other and stuff. And I was like 'oh my God, brotherhood'. But none of that actually happened and I feel very let down. Like when you thought there was a big sale going on across town and you go there, but it turns out they're only giving away misshapen cantaloupes." Uraraka explained.

"Uh… That first part I got, classic literary trope. That second part… I don't even know what's going on." Kaminari said, his mind clearly sparking trying to figure out what she meant. Mineta, however, swallowed the lump in his throat. All of this was just a round-a-bout way for Uraraka to reveal her rather downtrodden financial status. Was this okay? Will the others judge her?

And looking to Iida and Midoriya, the two of them had a similar expression to his own. What's with today and revealing one's own secrets? If this massive coincidence somehow ends with Midoriya revealing his and All Might's relationship, then they'd all be in neck deep liquid shit.

"Did you at least get some? The malformed fruit?" Tsuyu asked, blunt as ever. But just from the light in her blank eyes, the amphibious girl was not saying that out of mockery. In fact, it was almost like she experienced the same issue. Though whether it was a financial thing or the experience of a great disappointment, Mineta couldn't say.

"Uh… Just as much as I could carry…" Uraraka said, scratching at the back of her head at an uncomfortable speed.

"Well at least have cantaloupe juice for the next few days. Though misshapen, a cantaloupe is still a cantaloupe. And I'll have you know that it has all sorts of nutritional benefits." Iida commented, drawing warped shapes in the air as though to prove a point. But there was a glint on his glasses that neither Mineta nor Midoriya missed. Follow my lead.

"M-Maybe we can drop by a while after today and split a few open. Compare how they taste with each other." Midoriya said quickly.

"Or bring some other fruit and make a fruit salad." Mineta added, blurting out the first thing that came to mind. It wasn't anything, but it would make this whole experience more fun.

"Oh! My Dad accidentally bought crates of oranges and lemons. Maybe we can make a fruit punch." Kaminari suggested. How this conversation went from duels of friendship to drink mixing was beyond Mineta. But he supposed that was the thing about being around a group of goofballs. You never know what will happen next around them. And the shorter boy supposed he should be glad that this could still happen after all the crazy that has happened.

It was the perfect time to catch his breath.

And that has been Chapter 23! Not too exciting this time around. But after that mass of text called last chapter, I feel like we should slow down a bit.

"But not too slow, otherwise you get a speeding ticket."

Yes, yes, that's the idea. But what do you think, my dear viewers? Is the change in pace a good or bad thing? It really depends on what you're reading and getting it just right is a difficult thing to do. But seeing that this is normally where the break is, I feel this is a good time to cool down.

"But not too cool, you don't want things to get colder at the start of winter."

Well I for one like the cold, no bugs to bother me. Any how, that's all the news I have for you this update. Stay tuned and witness a man lose everything he worked for in five seconds.

"Big oof."

So with all that said...

Until Next Time. T1.