[Time: 10:00 AM][Location: U.A. High School – Class 1-A Classroom]
"ALRIGHT LISTENERS! TODAY WE ARE TALKING ABOUT PRONUNCIATION!"
Present Mic's voice boomed through the classroom, rattling the windows.
"Communicating with civilians is key! You have to be loud! Clear! And charismatic! Can I get a 'YEAH'?!"
"Yeah..." the class mumbled, still exhausted from the previous night's lockdown.
"I can't hear you! Kurobane! Give me a loud battle cry to wake everyone up!"
Reiji sat at his desk, staring deadpan at the eccentric teacher. He slowly raised his hand and pointed to the thick white bandage wrapped around his throat.
Present Mic froze.
"Oh. Right. The... uh... unfortunate silencing incident." Present Mic coughed, adjusting his glasses. "Well then! Interpretive dance is also a valid form of communication! Moving on!"
The class stifled a few giggles. Kaminari leaned over, whispering loudly.
"Dude, this is actually kinda funny. You're usually so scary, but now you're like a mime. Do the invisible box trick!"
Reiji turned his head slowly. He didn't need a voice to convey a threat. His eyes narrowed into a glare so cold that Kaminari immediately recoiled.
"Sorrystopslookingatme," Kaminari squeaked, turning back to his textbook.
Reiji sighed internally.
[Status: Silenced.][Time Remaining: 12 Hours.]
It was frustrating. He couldn't chant spells. He couldn't issue commands. He was trapped in his own head.
When the bell finally rang for lunch, Reiji didn't go to the cafeteria. He needed space. The constant pitying looks from Uraraka and the suspicious glances from Bakugo were wearing him thin.
He scribbled a note to Iida—Going to Recovery Girl. throat hurts.—and slipped out into the empty hallway.
[Location: Hallway 3-C – Near the Faculty Office]
The corridors were quiet. Sunlight streamed through the tall windows, casting long shadows on the linoleum floor.
Reiji walked with his hands in his pockets, his mind racing. The traitor. Who is it? How did the Nomu get in?
He turned the corner.
And stopped.
Leaning casually against the wall, reading a hero magazine, was a man with crimson wings.
Hawks.
The Number Two Hero looked up, flashing a lazy, charming smile.
"Yo. Playing hooky?"
Reiji didn't react. He kept his face blank, reaching for his notepad.
"Don't bother," Hawks said, closing the magazine and tossing it into a nearby recycling bin. "I know you can't talk. Aizawa briefed me."
Hawks pushed himself off the wall, his boots clicking softly as he walked toward Reiji.
"Convenient, isn't it?"
Reiji raised an eyebrow.
"For the villains, I mean," Hawks clarified, stopping just outside of arm's reach. "They send a High-End Nomu. An assassin type. But instead of trying to blow you up or rip your head off... it silences you."
Hawks tilted his head, his golden eyes sharp as razors.
"Why would they prioritize shutting you up, Reiji? Are you a singer in your spare time? Or is there something you know that they don't want you to say?"
Reiji felt his heart rate spike. He forced himself to remain calm.
He pulled out his pen and wrote on his palm, showing it to Hawks.
IT WAS A TACTICAL CHOICE. PREVENT CALLING FOR HELP.
"Maybe," Hawks shrugged. "But usually, villains just kill you if they want you quiet. 'Silence' is a very specific status effect. It feels... personal."
Hawks took a step closer. The air around them grew heavy.
"I looked into the security logs, kid. The barrier didn't glitch. It was bypassed. Someone with authorized access let that thing in."
Reiji's eyes widened slightly. So he knows about the traitor too.
"But here's the kicker," Hawks whispered, leaning in. "I checked the access logs for last night. Do you know whose ID signature was used to open the service hatch on the fourth floor?"
Reiji stared at him.
Hawks smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Yours."
Reiji froze.
Mine? That's impossible.
"Reiji Kurobane," Hawks recited. "Access granted at 02:43 AM. Two minutes before the attack."
Hawks spread his wings slightly, blocking the sunlight.
"So, tell me. Did you invite a monster into the dorms to stage a little scene? To make yourself look like a victim? Or is someone stealing your identity as well as your voice?"
[Quest Triggered: The Web of Lies.][Objective: Convince Hawks of your innocence WITHOUT speaking.][Difficulty: Hard.]
Reiji glared at Hawks. The accusation was absurd, but the evidence was damning. If the logs said it was him, the traitor had framed him perfectly.
Reiji grabbed his notepad. He wrote furiously, the pen nearly tearing the paper.
IF I WANTED TO STAGE A SCENE, I WOULDN'T HAVE NEARLY DIED. CHECK THE MEDICAL REPORT. STRANGULATION MARKS.
He ripped the page off and shoved it at Hawks' chest.
Hawks caught the paper. He read it, then looked at the purple bruising on Reiji's neck peeking out from the bandage.
"Fair point," Hawks conceded, his tone lightening up. "You'd have to be pretty masochistic to let a Nomu choke you out just for an alibi."
Hawks crumpled the paper and put it in his pocket.
"I believe you, Reiji. Mostly because if you were the traitor, you'd be smart enough not to use your own ID."
He patted Reiji on the shoulder.
"But be careful. The police aren't as intuitive as I am. Tsukauchi is running those logs right now. If I were you... I'd find the real rat before they come for you with handcuffs."
Hawks walked past him, waving a hand over his shoulder.
"Get your voice back soon, kid. Silence doesn't suit you."
Reiji stood alone in the hallway.
His fists were clenched so hard his knuckles were white.
They used my ID.They framed me.
The traitor wasn't just hiding. They were attacking him directly.
[System Alert: Passive Skill "Detective" has leveled up.][New Clue Unlocked: The traitor has physical access to your personal belongings.]
Reiji turned and looked back toward the dorms.
The enemy was sleeping in the room next door.
End of Chapter 107.
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