//AN: dunno how I feel about this chapter but whatever
Finding out about New Order opened the world to so many possibilities. Thoughts raced around Renji's head like firework rockets, not stopping for a moment.
"Haha," He chuckled, the grin on his face still spread wide. "I wonder when I'll get the chance to meet her."
Renji doubted Nezu would be happy if he suddenly waltzed his way overseas to the United States of America. Especially since Nezu basically outbid them all those years ago.
I'm sure I'll get the chance eventually. Renji sighed in deep thought, hoping for the best case scenario.
"Maybe I won't even have to go to her."
Coming off the high, Renji moved onto another file, but not before he saved Star and Stripe's data.
He spun to check the time on the small clock he had placed near the door of the room. It read: 5:32.
With a nod, Renji turned back to the screens. He didn't forget that he invited Emi to come over for dinner tonight, but that didn't mean he couldn't get some more work done!
Renji moved from screen to screen, taking each piece of information in stride with a second wind. Reading that little bit of information about New Order was really getting him going.
The thrill of discovery coursed through him, snapping him back into sharp focus. His previous weariness melted away, replaced by a pulse of adrenaline that made every thought feel faster, every connection clearer.
"Alright… let's see what else I can find," he muttered, eyes narrowing as he leaned forward. Cancelling his Quirk, his fingers dancing over the keyboard, pulling up another file before immediately switching back into the still world.
Minutes slipped by unnoticed. Renji barely registered the passing of time. The second wind had him entirely, and he rode it, moving from screen to screen with precision, urgency, and a grin that refused to fade.
—
[Some Time Later]
"What the fuck?"
Renji stared in disbelief at one of the files. Hidden beneath all the others he had bought from the dark web sat a small file containing only a picture and short description.
—All For One—
By the time you realize his presence, your options have already been stripped away, your fate sealed long before the confrontation begins.
If his shadow falls across you, it is not a warning. It is the end already in motion.
"Are you shitting me?! He's real?!" Renji exclaimed, gripping his head in shock. "This—this changes… What the FUCK!"
Renji's pulse thundered in his ears. His grin cracked wider, teeth bared in something caught between exhilaration and dread.
Normally he would have considered it to be a sham, false information. But it had come from one of his most trusted sources, one he had been revisiting for many years.
Pacing in the silence like a caged animal, his hands dragged through his hair, eyes darting from screen to screen as though the answer might materialize if he moved fast enough.
"All For One… he's not just a myth, not some urban legend." Renji laughed, the sound sharp, unhinged. "If I knew he was real, I would've searched him up sooner! Fuck, fuck—what else have they buried?!"
He clenched his fists, forcing himself to cancel his Quirk. The stillness shattered in an instant, noise returning like the snap of air rushing into a vacuum.
Renji dropped back into his chair, fingers hammering the keyboard with manic speed. He set a filter across every database he had access to, dark web or otherwise, narrowing his search: All For One – government clearance files – highest-level security locks.
The screen flickered with dozens of corrupted hits. Redacted blocks of black text, most of them dead links. But then, buried three directories deep, a classified document crawled onto his main monitor, stamped with bold red lettering.
[LEVEL 6 CLEARANCE REQUIRED]Subject: All For One
Direct confrontation results in zero survival probability. Analysts agree: if you ever suspect that All For One is upon you, leave the country as soon as possible. Even then, it may be too late.
Renji's grin twitched back to life, trembling at the edges. His heart slammed against his ribs.
"Incredible…," he whispered, voice shaking with manic thrill. "The boogeyman is real."
—
[The Next Day]
—Class 1-A, U.A. High—
"Good afternoon, everyone." Aizawa greeted the class, an eternal stern expression on his face.
He walked up to the podium before taking in a deep breath. "We'll be doing something different today."
The class' gaze sharpened at his announcement, ready for the reveal.
"We will be partaking in a rescue exercise for Basic Hero Training." He coughed into his arm before steadying himself. "Suit up, people. We'll be going off campus this time."
"Pretty exciting, huh?" Kirishima elbowed Kaminari as they walked toward the changing rooms.
"Ow!" He yelped, rubbing his arm, "Aizawa-sensei said it would be like a rescue mission, so I guess it'll be fun."
Kaminari frowned as he remembered the previous classes that morning. "Anything is better than having to sit in English with Present Mic."
"Don't be disrespectful." Iida reprimanded, walking rigidly beside then.
Kaminari raised his hands in surrender, offering an apologetic smile. "It's not Present Mic's fault, it's just that English is boring as hell."
"Who knows," Renji butted in, stretching his neck side to side. "You might need to know how to communicate in English."
Scoffing, Kaminari leaned toward Renji with a incredulous look. "Oh, yeah?"
"Go on, give me an example." He challenged.
Renji gave him a blank stare before sighing disappontedlty. "Imagine you're out on patrol in the middle of summer break. You know how many foreigners come to Japan at that time of year?"
"Or what if it's for a mission? A briefing? What are you going to do—tell the government that you couldn't be bothered to learn?"
Kaminari blinked, caught off guard. For once, he had no comeback.
The others laughed at the look on Kaminari's face as he bregrudgingly admitted defeat and opened the door to the locker room.
Even while everyone was laughing, the only thing on Renji's mind was All For One.
The rustling of clothes as he changed, the casual chatter, it all felt muted.
Renji adjusted his jacket, hiding the twitch at the corner of his mouth. It was almost funny, the way they could laugh, complain about classes, argue about stupid little thing while there was someone who could end it all without even lifting a finger.
He couldn't blame them. They didn't know, couldn't know, really. Every smile here was just blissful ignorance.
Renji's fingers tapped idly against his leg as they walked out of the locker room and towards the bus they would be taking to get off campus.
If he's real, then the world's balance is a lot more unstable than we think. Just how has he gone unnoticed for so long? I can see the government hiding it to make sure the citizens don't panic or anything.
"Renji? You coming?" Uraraka's voice snapped him back, pulling him out of his spiral. She was already near the bus with the others, turning to notice him standing still nearby.
He blinked, then nodded quickly, falling in step. "Yeah. Just got some things on my mind."
"Man, you think too much," Kaminari muttered with a grin, still sour about his earlier defeat.
Renji forced a chuckle, the sound smooth enough to pass. But inside, the storm still shook in great force.
—
The bus rumbled to life, carrying the group toward their destination. The chatter inside filled the space instantly, each conversation layered over the next.
"Hey, hey," Mina piped up from her seat, leaning over toward Jiro with a grin. "You should play music while we ride! Get us in the rescue mood!"
"I'm not a jukebox," Jiro deadpanned, though she tugged lightly at her earjack with a small smirk.
"Oh come on, it'd be epic!" Mina laughed. "Besides, you've got the coolest quirk for sound. Totally useful for some road tunes."
Kaminari perked up. "Coolest? Excuse me? You're talking to the human stun gun himself." He slapped his chest proudly. "Clear rubble? Zap it! Need light? Zap it! Bad guy shows up? Boom—fried!"
"Boom—idiot!" Jiro shot back, rolling her eyes. "Don't forget the part where you short-circuit and start babbling nonsense."
The whole bus erupted in laughter as Kaminari clutched his chest dramatically, pretending to be wounded.
"Electricity is useful though," Iida interjected, ever the voice of reason. "Just imagine a scenario where the power has gone out in a disaster zone. Kaminari would be able to restore communications!"
"Thank you, Iida!" Kaminari said, standing tall again, though his voice cracked with barely restrained smugness.
"Yeah, until he fries the comms equipment by accident," Bakugo barked from the back, arms crossed and scowl firmly in place. "Quit pretending you're reliable."
Meanwhile, Uraraka nudged Renji from the seat across the aisle. "What about you, Renji? What does your Quirk really do anyways?"
Renji glanced up, blinking as every pair of eyes seemed to shift toward him at once.
I'm getting some kind of déjà vu.
"Well," he began, tapping a finger against his knee, "it's not the flashiest Quirk. It gives me space to observe, analyze, pick up on details I might miss otherwise."
"Wait," Mina tilted her head, "like… super-hearing? Super-vision?"
Renji shook his head mysteriously. "Not exactly. Think of it like… stepping back from the noise. Everything slows down for me, so I can focus on the details.
"That's actually really cool," Uraraka said, smiling warmly. "Like, you'd be amazing in a rescue mission, spotting trapped people or things others would miss."
"Preferably, I'd see the danger before people get trapped." He said sternly, a dark look falling on his face. "If someone gets burried in rubble under my supervision, then I've done something wrong."
The bus fell quiet for a moment, Renji's words cutting through the playful chatter like a blade. His tone carried no bragging, only conviction, and it caught a few of them off guard.
"Damn," Kirishima muttered, leaning forward in his seat. "That's… pretty manly, actually. Owning up like that."
"Yeah," Sero added, nodding. "Not many people would think of it that way."
Renji exhaled slowly, then gave a small shrug. "Rescue work is heavy. If I can prevent the worst, I have to. Otherwise, what's the point of having a Quirk?"
That sobered the group for just a beat before Kaminari leaned back, folding his arms behind his head with a dramatic sigh. "Man, you make me feel like I've been wasting my Quirk all this time."
"Because you have," Bakugo snapped instantly, sparks crackling in his palms.
"Shut up, dude!" Kaminari barked back, but his voice cracked halfway through, earning another wave of laughter from the others.
Renji allowed himself a faint chuckle this time, masking the storm still twisting inside him. They thought his Quirk was just for spotting rubble and details, and that was fine. Let them. It kept him and his interests safe.