The classroom buzzed with energy long before Aizawa arrived.
It wasn't loud exactly—no shouting, no explosions—but there was a restless hum in the air, the kind that came from people who'd just tasted something new and couldn't stop thinking about it.
Fame.
Ren leaned back in his chair, arms crossed loosely, watching it all unfold with half-lidded eyes.
"They recognized me at the station!" Kaminari was saying, leaning halfway over his desk. "Like—straight up pointed at me. Asked if I was that guy from the cavalry battle."
Uraraka nodded enthusiastically. "Same! Someone asked me for a picture. I panicked and bowed like three times."
"I was stopped by a store clerk," Iida added stiffly, adjusting his glasses. "They thanked me for representing hero society with dignity."
Bakugo snorted. "Tch. They should."
Ren exhaled through his nose, amused.
Celebrity wasn't the right word for it—but it was close. The Sports Festival had cracked the door open. For the first time, the public wasn't looking at them as students.
They were looking at them as future heroes.
Someone turned toward Ren—he didn't even need to look up to know who it was.
"So," Kirishima said, grinning, "what about you, Ren? First place and all. Bet people were lining up, huh?"
A few heads turned.
Ren opened one eye lazily.
"Not really," he said. "I live on campus."
That gave them pause.
"…Huh?"
"The school handled it," Ren continued calmly. "Housing arrangement. Cuts down on travel."
"That's it?" Kaminari blinked. "No fans? No reporters?"
Ren shrugged. "I don't leave much."
It wasn't even evasive. Just factual.
Before anyone could push further, the door slid open.
Aizawa Shouta shuffled in, wrapped in his capture scarf, eyes already tired despite the day barely starting. The room snapped to attention almost immediately—muscle memory kicking in.
"Sit," Aizawa said flatly.
He dropped into his chair, gaze sweeping over them.
"You all did well," he said. "Too well."
That got their attention.
"The Sports Festival put you on the map. Which means starting today, you're targets." He paused. "Internship offers have already begun arriving."
A murmur rippled through the room.
"Some of you will get hundreds. Some thousands." His eyes flicked briefly toward Ren, Todoroki, and Bakugo. "Some of you will need to be selective."
The door slid open again—this time with flair.
Midnight stepped in, heels clicking against the floor, a grin already on her face. "And that's where I come in~"
The class straightened instinctively.
"Hero Internships!" she announced brightly. "A chance to learn directly under professional heroes. Real agencies. Real fieldwork."
She gestured broadly. "And before we go any further—since this is the first time many of you will be introduced to the public under your hero identities—it's time."
Ren felt it before she said it.
"Hero Names!"
The room erupted.
"Yes!"
"I already picked one!"
"Wait—we have to say them out loud?!"
Midnight clapped once. "One at a time. Stand up, say your name, keep it professional."
The roll began.
"Froppy."
"Creati."
"Red Riot."
"Shoto."
"Great Explosion Murder God—"
"No."
"King Explosion Murder!"
Ren watched, amused but detached. Names mattered—but only as much as people believed in them.
Eventually, Midnight's gaze found him.
"And you, first place," she purred. "Care to introduce yourself?"
Ren stood.
The room quieted almost instantly.
He didn't rush it.
"My hero name," he said evenly, "is Aeon."
There was a beat of silence.
Midnight blinked once. Then smiled slowly. "Oh my. That's a unique name."
Midnight laughed openly. "Well! Confidence aside, you've certainly made an impression."
Aizawa sighed. "You're all dismissed to review internship offers. Choose carefully."
As papers were passed around, the room filled with whispers and gasps.
"Five thousand offers?!"
"Wait—this hero agency is huge!"
"I don't even know who half these people are!"
Ren didn't touch the stack.
Kirishima noticed immediately. "You not looking?"
Ren shook his head. "Not yet."
"Huh?" Kirishima scratched his head. "Why not? You probably got more than anyone."
"Probably," Ren agreed. "But I'm not picking based on numbers."
Kirishima leaned closer. "Then how?"
Ren looked thoughtful.
"I'm going to talk to the people who know me," he said. "Find out who's actually appropriate."
"Like… teachers?"
Ren nodded.
"I don't need flash. I need fundamentals."
Kirishima smiled. "Man, that's kinda awesome."
Ren didn't respond.
His eyes drifted toward the window, toward the training fields beyond.
The name had been spoken.
The stage had been set.
Now came the part that mattered—
becoming worthy of it.