Ren tapped the board again, drawing a small double-helix symbol beneath the word ROOT.
"And if quirks suddenly appeared in humanity…"
His voice dropped into a low, analytical tone.
"…then the researchers of that era must have documented everything."
The class leaned in—this was turning into a conspiracy far larger than they expected.
Ren drew three bullet points:
• Notes
• Genetic samples
• DNA evolution logs
He underlined them slowly.
"Scientists back then weren't dealing with superpowers."
He looked at the class.
"They were dealing with a biological anomaly that changed the human species."
Midoriya whispered, stunned,
"So they must've recorded how quirks formed… how they evolved… and how they spread…"
Exactly.
Ren nodded and continued:
"And if quirks are biological—
a mutation, a gene, a spark that awakened suddenly—"
His eyes sharpened.
"—then someone like Mastermind would want access to the earliest research."
The air in the room tightened.
Yaoyorozu raised her hand, voice trembling.
"R-Ren… that kind of data would be ancient. Sealed. Protected by governments."
Todoroki added quietly,
"That means he'd need connections at the highest levels."
Kaminari gulped,
"Bro… you're telling me he's trying to hack… humanity's blueprint?!"
Ren didn't deny it.
Instead, he tapped the DNA symbol.
"If you want to cut the root…
you don't attack heroes.
You don't attack villains.
You attack the origin."
The whole room jolted.
Kirishima slammed his hands on the desk, eyes bulging anime-style.
"WAIT—SO HE'S TRYING TO ERASE QUIRKS AT THE GENETIC LEVEL? LIKE—LIKE SOME KIND OF RESET?!"
Jiro's face went pale.
"That's not villainy… that's extinction of an era."
Even Bakugo didn't have a comeback—his fist slowly clenched, trembling with something he'd never admit was fear.
Midoriya looked at Ren, voice shaking:
"Ren… do you think Mastermind already found those records?"
Ren exhaled slowly.
"I think…"
He looked straight at Aizawa.
"…someone with that level of planning already knew where they were long before we even realized they existed."
Aizawa's eyes widened—just a little.
Ren finally stepped back.
"And that's what scares me."
He tapped his temple.
"Because if I can figure this out with my quirk…
then someone like him—
who's been planning for years—
might be ten steps ahead already."
The class fell into a silence so heavy it felt like gravity increased.
Ren stepped back from the board, breathing slightly heavier than before.
He wiped his hands on his uniform without thinking—
and that's when Midoriya noticed it first.
"R–Ren… your nose—!"
A thin, dark line of blood slid down Ren's upper lip, dripping onto the chalkboard ledge.
The class gasped.
Jiro shot up from her seat.
"Hey—your nose is bleeding!"
Kirishima panicked, pointing wildly.
"BRO, THAT'S NOT JUST A LITTLE DROP—THAT'S ANALYZING-TO-DEATH LEVEL!"
Momo rushed forward instinctively.
"He's overworked his brain—his quirk must be straining his neural pathways!"
Todoroki's eyes widened, ice forming unconsciously on his desk.
"He's pushing far beyond safe limits…"
Midoriya clenched his notebook, voice shaking.
"Ren… you're using your quirk at full capacity, aren't you? You can't—your brain—!"
Even Bakugo's expression cracked for a moment.
"Tch—idiot… don't collapse in the middle of a damn lecture!"
Aizawa moved immediately.
Ren staggered, one hand gripping the board for support, chalk dropping from his other hand and snapping on the floor.
Aizawa's scarf flared out and supported Ren around the shoulder before he fell.
"That's enough," Aizawa said sharply, voice filled with a rare mix of anger and concern.
"You used your quirk way too long."
Ren blinked slowly, vision blurring at the edges, blood dripping onto his sleeve.
"I… I'm fine, Sensei," he muttered weakly.
"You're not," Aizawa retorted instantly.
"Your quirk strains your neurons when you overthink at that speed. You could suffer permanent damage if you keep pushing like this."
Ren tried to speak, but—
Another drop of blood fell.
Then another.
Midoriya's eyes filled with fear.
Kaminari looked like he'd faint.
Jiro covered her mouth.
Kirishima whispered,
"Dude… you were doing mental crazy-level calculations the whole time…"
Ren finally exhaled slowly, the tension easing just a little.
"I just… wanted to understand," he said quietly, wiping the blood with the back of his hand.
"If Mastermind is really trying to erase quirks… I needed to see the full picture."
Aizawa tightened his grip on Ren's shoulder.
"And nearly fried your own brain in the process."
Ren looked up, tired but determined.
"Sensei… this isn't something we can ignore."
Aizawa met his eyes with a stern, protective gaze.
"And I'm not letting you destroy yourself chasing the mind of a man who already outsmarted entire governments.
Sit down. That's an order."
Ren finally nodded, breathing shakily as he returned to his seat.
The class watched him, shaken, scared, and in awe—
Realizing how far he had pushed himself…
And how terrifying his theory truly was.
Aizawa waited until Ren steadied himself in his seat.
The room was still thick with shock, fear, and tension.
Everyone kept glancing at Ren's blood-stained sleeve, worried but too stunned to speak.
Aizawa cleared his throat.
"Alright… enough of this for now."
His voice was firm—but gentler than usual.
He turned to the board and, with one swipe, erased Villain, Root, and all of Ren's diagrams.
He didn't want those theories sitting in the room any longer than necessary.
"Let's return to the actual purpose of today's homeroom—internships."
The students straightened, but their expressions were still shaken.
Aizawa continued:
"You will all be assigned to agencies based on your performance and recommendations. This year's internships have increased because—"
He glanced briefly at Ren before finishing.
"—because villain activity is rising, and we need to prepare you."
Kaminari raised a hand weakly.
"S–sensei… after what Ren said… internships sound like… the least dangerous part of our year."
Aizawa sighed tiredly.
"That's exactly why you'll need proper training."
He clicked the projector on, displaying a list of hero agencies.
"You'll choose from these listings by tomorrow morning. Make sure the agency fits your strengths. And—"
He shot a stern look across the room.
"—don't push your quirks past their safe limits. Some of you seem to forget that."
Ren lowered his eyes at that.
Midoriya glanced at him with concern.
Todoroki folded his arms, analyzing him silently.
Bakugo clicked his tongue but didn't comment.
Aizawa wrapped up:
"Think carefully. Internships can define your path as a pro hero. That's all."
The bell rang.
CLANG—!!
Chairs scraped. Students began packing their bags, but none of them stood immediately.
Kirishima whispered,
"That was… a wild class, man…"
Jiro sighed, "Wild? That was nightmare-level info dump…"
Momo looked at Ren with worry.
"You should go to the nurse."
Midoriya nodded. "Y-yeah… Recovery Girl will help!"
Ren waved slightly, a tired half-smile.
"I'll be fine… I just need rest."
But everyone could see:
His mind was still racing.
And his theory hadn't left anyone's thoughts.
As Class A finally filed out of the room, the uneasy feeling lingered—
The feeling that the world they knew was much more fragile than they believed.
And
somewhere out there…
Mastermind was moving one step closer to his goal.
Ren closed the dorm door behind him and leaned against it for a moment, letting out a slow, exhausted breath.
His head still throbbed from the overuse of his quirk.
He barely made it three steps inside when—
RING—RING—
His phone buzzed on the table.
Ren froze.
The caller ID flashed:
DABI
His eyes sharpened instantly, all exhaustion fading.
He picked up the phone.
Ren spoke quietly, voice slipping into a colder, hidden tone:
"…I'm here."
Dabi's lazy drawl came through the speaker, but beneath it was respect—
the kind he showed only to Ren.
Dabi:
"Yo, boss. Just an update."
Ren sat on the edge of his bed, posture straightening automatically.
Dabi:
"Stain and Kurogiri did their part. They gathered researchers from around the world—
the ones who know about quirk genetics."
Ren's fingers tightened around the phone.
Dabi continued:
"And our support gear member, Akira?
Yeah, she finished all your upgrades."
Ren's eyes narrowed with interest.
Dabi:
"She modified your wires—made 'em stronger, thinner, and heat-resistant."
"You've got reinforced nails for anchoring."
"Special boots with shock-absorbing plates and silent steps."
"And your cloak, hood, and mask?"
Dabi let out a low whistle.
"Let's just say… the new lenses see through more than just fog."
Ren exhaled, calm and composed.
"What's the status of the researchers?"
Dabi:
"Stain's watching the stubborn ones.
Kurogiri's handling transport.
Edgeshot's securing the perimeter."
A small smirk coated his voice.
"Everything's moving exactly like you predicted."
Ren leaned back, eyes half-closed.
"…Good. Keep them safe. Don't use force unless necessary."
Dabi:
"Hah. You're the only person I ever hear say that."
Ren didn't respond to the jab.
Dabi continued, voice lowering:
"Oh, and one more thing—
that theory you dropped in class today?"
Ren froze just slightly.
Dabi:
"You're getting too close while wearing that school uniform, boss.
Careful. Those kids aren't dumb."
Ren looked toward the window, expression unreadable.
"I know. But they need to understand the world they'll inherit."
Dabi chuckled darkly.
"Just don't fry your brain again. We kinda need that."
Ren allowed himself a faint, controlled smile.
"I'll manage."
Dabi:
"Alright then. We'll wait for your next move."
The call ended.
Ren slowly put the phone do
wn, his face returning to complete stillness—
Two identities, two worlds…
Both pulling him deeper.
Knock. Knock.
The sound cut through the room like a blade.
Ren's entire body tensed.
His phone was still in his hand.
Dabi's voice still echoed in his mind.
He quickly slid the phone under his pillow and wiped the last trace of blood from his nose.
Knock. Knock.
This time louder.
Ren forced his breathing to steady.
"…Coming," he said calmly, though his heart beat once—hard.
He opened the door.
Standing there—
arms crossed, eyes sharp as knives—
was Aizawa.
Ren's stomach tightened.
Aizawa looked him up and down once, expression unreadable.
"Ren," he said quietly, "we need to talk."
The dorm hallway fell silent.
Ren stepped aside slowly, letting him in.
Aizawa walked inside, his eyes scanning the room—
the notes on the desk, the open textbook, the faint smell of chalk still clinging to Ren's uniform.
He closed the door behind them.
Then he turned to Ren with a gaze that could pin a tiger to the wall.
"You pushed your quirk far beyond its limit today."
His voice was calm… too calm.
"And you knew exactly what you were doing."
Ren kept his expression neutral.
"…I'm aware."
Aizawa stepped closer.
"Are you hiding something?"
Ren's heartbeat spiked.
Aizawa wasn't guessing.
He was testing.
Ren forced a faint, tired smile.
"I'm just trying to understand the threat we're dealing with."
Aizawa didn't blink.
"Understanding is one thing," he said softly.
"But destroying your own brain to imitate Mastermind's thinking…? That's something else entirely."
Ren felt a chill run down his spine.
Imitate Mastermind's thinking.
He almost reacted—but kept his composure.
"And there's another problem," Aizawa added.
Ren looked up.
Aizawa's eyes narrowed to slits.
"You said something today nobody could have known unless they'd… seen the original data."
He paused.
"Or someone who had access to people who knew."
Ren's blood ran cold.
Aizawa continued:
"You aren't in trouble yet."
"But I'm not letting one of my students walk around with secrets that could get them killed."
A long silence filled the room.
Then Aizawa spoke the words Ren feared most:
"Ren…
who exactly are you talking to outside of U.A.?"
The air went still.
Ren's mind flashed to the phone under his pillow—
Dabi's voice, Stain's involvement, the researchers…
And in that moment—
Ren realized:
If he answered wrong, Aizawa would never let him leave the room.