As we approached UA's gates, I noticed Kaito giving me a sideways glance, the kind that screamed he had something on his mind but wasn't sure how to bring it up. I raised an eyebrow at him, finally breaking the silence.

"What?" I asked, half-annoyed, half-curious.

He grinned, the kind of grin that immediately set off my internal alarms. "What were you doing in the park last night, huh? Meeting up with Bakugo? At night?"

My steps faltered. I wasn't expecting that. "Wait, how do you know I was in the park?"

"Oh, don't worry about that," Kaito said, waving it off dramatically. "Answer the question, though."

"Hold up," I said, turning to face him fully. "Why were you in the park in the middle of the night?"

Kaito froze, his grin slipping into a sheepish look. "Uh... I was..."

"You were what?" I pressed, crossing my arms.

"I was... parkouring," he admitted, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Parkouring?" I repeated, raising an eyebrow.

"Yes, okay? I was parkouring!" he exclaimed, throwing his hands up in mock exasperation. "What? You think I just go to bed like a normal person after dinner? Please. There are rooftops out there calling my name just like you.... plus I was hopimg to catch up to ya.... happy now?!."

I couldn't help but laugh, shaking my head. "So, let me get this straight. You were out late at night, running around on rooftops, and you just happened to spot me?"

"Pretty much," Kaito said, his grin returning. "I was heading home when I saw you and Bakugo in the park. Honestly, I thought I was hallucinating at first. Like, 'What's Izuku doing hanging out with his mortal enemy after bedtime?'"

"First of all, it wasn't after bedtime," I said, rolling my eyes. "Second, Bakugo isn't my mortal enemy."

"Could've fooled me," Kaito quipped. "Anyway, what were you two even doing? You looked like you were about to duel under the moonlight or something."

I sighed, deciding to just get it over with. "He called me. Out of nowhere. Said he wanted to train."

"Train?" Kaito repeated, his voice dripping with disbelief. "Bakugo? With you?"

"Yes, Kaito," I said, shooting him a look. "He wanted to train. But I didn't let him. I told him we'd do parkour instead."

Kaito's reaction was immediate and exactly what I expected. He doubled over laughing, nearly stumbling as we walked. "You—wait—you made Bakugo do parkour?"

"Yes," I said, trying to keep a straight face.

"And he actually did it? Like, without blowing you up or screaming his lungs out?"

"Well, there was some screaming," I admitted. "But once we started, he got into it."

Kaito straightened up, wiping a fake tear from his eye. "Man, I wish I'd stuck around. I would've paid good money to see that."

"It wasn't that funny," I muttered, though even I couldn't suppress a small grin.

"Oh, it absolutely is," Kaito said, slapping me on the back. "You turned the walking rage grenade into a rooftop ninja. That's comedy gold."

I shook my head, focusing back on the school building ahead. "It wasn't just about the parkour. He... apologized."

Kaito stopped dead in his tracks, staring at me like I'd just told him aliens invaded. "Wait. Bakugo Katsuki? Apologized? To you?"

"Yes," I said, my voice quieter now. "He admitted that during the mock battle, it wasn't luck. That I've gotten stronger."

Kaito blinked at me, his usual teasing tone replaced by something softer. "Wow. That's... actually kinda huge."

"Yeah," I muttered, still trying to wrap my head around it myself. "I mean, I don't know if it's a permanent thing or if he'll go back to screaming at me tomorrow, but... it felt real."

Kaito nodded, his expression serious for once. "Well, don't let it get to your head. The guy's got enough explosions for ten personalities. He might be turning over a new leaf, but he's still Bakugo."

"True," I said, chuckling. "But hey, progress is progress."

Kaito smirked, his usual playful energy returning. "And here I thought I was the only one who got sentimental on rooftops. Guess Bakugo's human after all."

I rolled my eyes, picking up the pace as we neared the gates. "Come on, we're gonna be late if you keep dragging your feet."

"Oh, don't worry about me," Kaito said, jogging to catch up. "Worry about Bakugo. Next time you take him on a parkour adventure, you might actually turn him into a decent ninja."

"Noted," I said with a laugh, shaking my head as we headed into the school.