[Time: 09:00 PM][Location: Heights Alliance Dorms – Midoriya Izuku's Room]
The room was cramped. Between the All Might posters, the All Might action figures, and the All Might bedsheets, there was barely enough space for four people to stand.
Midoriya sat on his bed, looking nervous. Todoroki stood by the window, cool and impassive. Bakugo leaned against the doorframe, looking like he wanted to blow something up.
And Reiji sat on the desk chair, holding a small whiteboard he had borrowed from the common room.
"So," Bakugo growled, breaking the silence. "Why did you drag us to the nerd's shrine? You better have a good reason, Mumbles."
Reiji uncapped a marker. The smell of ink filled the small room. He wrote quickly and turned the board around.
THE TRAITOR IS ONE OF US.
The air in the room instantly grew heavy.
Midoriya's eyes widened. "Reiji... we've talked about the possibility of a traitor before, but... do you have proof?"
Reiji erased the board and wrote again.
HAWKS TOLD ME. THE NOMU GOT IN USING AN ID CARD.MY ID CARD.
Todoroki frowned, stepping away from the window. "Your ID? But you were asleep when the breach happened."
EXACTLY, Reiji wrote, underlining the word twice. SOMEONE STOLE IT. USED IT. AND PUT IT BACK.
"Hah!" Bakugo let out a sharp, angry bark. "So they're trying to frame you? That's ballsy. I'll give 'em that."
Bakugo pushed off the doorframe, stomping into the center of the room. Sparks crackled in his palms.
"I hate it," Bakugo snarled. "Someone in this dorm is looking down on us. They think they can pull a fast one right under our noses? They think we're stupid?"
"It implies premeditation," Midoriya muttered, entering his analysis mode. He started pacing. "To steal Reiji's ID, they would need access to his room or his gym locker. They would need to know his schedule. And they timed the attack perfectly for when the teachers were asleep."
Midoriya stopped and looked at Reiji.
"They want you gone, Reiji. If you're arrested—or expelled—you're vulnerable. The League of Villains is afraid of your growth."
Reiji nodded. He wrote another message.
I CAN'T FIGHT THEM ALONE right now. I'M SILENCED. I'M WATCHED.I NEED A TEAM.
He looked at the three of them. The strongest students in Class 1-A. The future Big Three.
"You want us to help you catch a rat," Todoroki stated calmly. "I'm in. My old man suspects something is wrong with U.A.'s security too. This confirms it."
"I'm in too!" Midoriya said firmly, clenching his fists. "We can't let a villain live among us. It's too dangerous for everyone."
Reiji turned his gaze to Bakugo.
Bakugo scoffed, looking away. "I'm not doing this for you, you glitchy bastard. But if there's a traitor..."
Bakugo grinned, a terrifying expression that promised violence.
"...then I get to crush them. Count me in."
[System Notification: Party Formed.][Party Name: The U.A. Big Four (Provisional)][Quest Updated: The Eagle's Eyes -> SHARED QUEST.]
Reiji felt a wave of relief. He wasn't alone anymore.
He wiped the whiteboard clean and began sketching a rough map of the dorms.
THE PLAN:1. I ACT SCARED. I STAY IN MY ROOM.2. I LEAVE MY ID ON MY DESK.3. WE BAIT THEM TO STEAL IT AGAIN.
"Bait?" Todoroki asked. "Why would they steal it again?"
BECAUSE I'M GOING TO 'ACCIDENTALLY' REVEAL THAT I HAVE DATA ON THE NOMU, Reiji wrote. DATA THAT PROVES MY INNOCENCE.
Reiji's eyes glinted with mischief.
IF THE TRAITOR PANICS, THEY WILL TRY TO DESTROY THE EVIDENCE. AND WHEN THEY ENTER MY ROOM...
"We'll be waiting," Midoriya finished, a determined look on his face.
"Ambush," Bakugo cracked his knuckles. "My favorite."
Reiji stood up. He offered a fist to the group.
Midoriya bumped it immediately. Todoroki hesitated, then bumped it gently. Bakugo rolled his eyes, muttered "Die," and punched Reiji's fist a little too hard.
It was settled.
The hunt was on.
[Time: 02:00 AM][Location: Heights Alliance Dorms – Hallway]
The lights were off. The dorm was silent.
Reiji lay in his bed (which had been replaced by Cementoss earlier that day), feigning sleep. His breathing was steady, but his mind was sharp.
[Status: Silenced.][Time Remaining: 6 Hours.]
On his desk, illuminated by a single shaft of moonlight, lay a USB drive labeled "EVIDENCE - DO NOT TOUCH" and his ID card.
It was a clumsy trap. A desperate trap. Exactly the kind of trap a terrified student would make.
Creak.
Reiji's eyes didn't open. He relied on his other senses.
The door handle turned slowly. The lock clicked—picked silently.
Someone stepped into the room.
They moved with the grace of a ghost. Reiji felt the air shift.
The figure moved to the desk. They reached for the USB drive.
NOW.
Reiji's eyes snapped open. He slammed his hand onto the mattress.
BOOM!
The door to his closet burst open. Midoriya shot out, glowing with green lightning. From under the bed, Bakugo rolled out, explosions ready. And blocking the balcony door, Todoroki stomped his foot, sealing the exit with ice.
"GOTCHA!" Bakugo roared.
The intruder froze.
They stood in the center of the room, surrounded by the three powerhouses. They were wearing a black hoodie, face obscured by a mask.
Reiji sat up, a dark smirk on his face. He held up his whiteboard.
GAME OVER.
The intruder looked at Bakugo, then at Todoroki, then at Midoriya.
Slowly, they raised their hands.
But then... they laughed.
It was a distorted, electronic laugh.
"Is it?" the intruder whispered.
POOF.
The figure exploded into a cloud of grey sludge—the same sludge used by the League of Villains.
"A clone?!" Midoriya shouted, shielding his face. "Twice's Quirk?!"
The sludge dissolved on the floor, leaving behind only a small, crumpled piece of paper.
Reiji picked it up.
On it, written in jagged handwriting, was a single message:
"NICE TRY, CARTER. SEE YOU SOON."
Reiji crushed the note in his hand.
They hadn't caught the traitor. But they had sent a message back.
[Quest Complete: The Counter-Trap.][Reward: The Traitor is now wary. Attack frequency reduced.][Hidden Objective Failed: Capture the Target.]
Reiji looked at his friends. They looked frustrated, but energized. They realized now that the threat was very, very real.
The war had officially begun inside U.A.
End of Chapter 108.
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