A couple of days passed, and Ren returned in top form.
He breezed through the sky, hopping from building to building like it was second nature, the wind rushing past him as he headed toward U.A.
He felt stronger than ever.
His bones still struggled to handle the sheer force his body output, micro-fractures forming almost instantly—but Seraph reacted faster than thought, repairing the damage before Ren could even register pain.
By the time he landed, his body was already perfect again.
U.A. stood before him.
A full week had passed since the USJ incident. The school had temporarily closed to reassess security, restructure protocols, and reassure the public.
Ren smiled faintly as he reached the door to Class 1-A.
He and Momo hadn't made anything official yet, but… he planned to. Soon.
He opened the door.
The chatter died instantly.
"Hi, Ren!"
Everyone greeted him—everyone except Bakugo, of course.
Ren sighed lightly and walked to his seat, as if nothing was out of the ordinary.
Moments later, the door slid open again.
Aizawa entered.
Every student stiffened.
Their eyes widened.
Aizawa looked… completely fine. No bandages. No stiffness. No trace of injury whatsoever.
"S-Sensei…" Iida asked carefully. "How did you…?"
"Someone healed me," Aizawa replied flatly.
Every head slowly turned toward Ren.
Ren blinked, then frowned.
"…Why are you all staring at me?" he asked, genuinely confused. "Do I have something on my face?"
The class shared a silent thought.
That's... an actor for you..
From his reaction alone, it genuinely looked like he had nothing to do with it.
Aizawa cleared his throat, reclaiming their attention.
"Anyway," he said. "The Sports Festival is approaching."
"Ehhhh?!" the entire class exclaimed in unison.
Jirou raised her hand. "Sensei… the villains attacked just a week ago. Is it really safe to hold it now?"
"If they attack again…" Ojiro muttered.
"We're holding it because of that," Aizawa replied. "To prove that our crisis management is solid."
"The security will be at least five times stronger than in previous years."
He paused, then continued.
"More importantly, the U.A. Sports Festival is a unique opportunity."
"We can't cancel it because of villains."
He went on.
"Once, we had the Olympics—an event that inspired the entire nation. But as you know those have declined in scale and influence over time with the appearance of Quirks."
"So now," Aizawa said, "U.A.'s Sports Festival has taken its place in Japan."
Murmurs filled the classroom as students talked about hero scouts, agencies, and future careers.
"I hope a lot of heroes notice me," Sero said excitedly.
Ren leaned back in his chair, sighing.
Boring…
For him, the festival would be a joke. He'd crush everyone instantly. It felt like a waste of time—he could be training, getting stronger.
"Entering a famous agency grants experience and recognition," Aizawa continued. "And time is limited."
"If you plan to become professional heroes, this event opens doors."
"You only get three chances. Once a year."
"If this is what you want—don't slack off."
"Yes!" the class shouted.
"Oh, and Ren."
Ren looked up.
"You won't be participating."
The room froze.
"Eh?!" Midoriya shot up. "Why, Sensei?!"
Aizawa adjusted his scarf.
"The power he displayed during the incident was… excessive," he said. "Even if he's still an irascible little brat, he'd completely erase your chances to show your worth."
The class nodded instinctively.
They hadn't told Aizawa about Ren's true Quirk—he'd passed out before seeing Ren's true capabilities—but even what he had seen was enough.
"This decision came from the principal," Aizawa added. "If it were up to me, I'd let him compete with you."
Ren let out a quiet breath of relief.
Finally—some peace.
"So," Aizawa continued, "you'll be participating in the third-years' Sports Festival."
"EHHHHHH?!" the entire class erupted.
"Ah?!" Ren exclaimed, snapping upright.
...
The bell rang.
Lunch time.
Just as Ren was about to get up from his desk, the entire class swarmed him.
"Ren-kun, you're going against the third years?!" Mina said, eyes sparkling.
"That's insane!" Sero added.
"Be sure to crush them!" Kirishima said, slamming his fist into his palm.
"What a pity…" Todoroki muttered as he walked past. "I thought we might fight."
"You bastard! You're only this strong because of that fucking Quirk of yours!" Bakugo snapped, storming out of the classroom.
"Look at him, all envious," Kaminari said, watching him leave.
"I AM NOT ENVIOUS!" Bakugo screamed from the hallway before disappearing.
Ren barely reacted.
"Ren…" Midoriya placed a hand on his shoulder, eyes shining. "I'll gather as much information as I can on the third years—their habits, their Quirks, their—"
Flick.
Ren flicked Midoriya square on the forehead.
"Ow—!"
"Focus on your own festival," Ren said calmly.
Midoriya rubbed his forehead, wincing.
"Guys, seriously," Ren continued. "You should all worry about yourselves. There probably isn't anyone on my level, even among the third years."
An awkward silence followed.
Ojiro scratched the back of his neck.
"Well…" Midoriya said hesitantly. "You're probably right."
One by one, they headed out for lunch.
Before Midoriya could leave with Uraraka and Iida, Ren stopped him.
"Hey," he said. "How are things going with Uraraka?"
Midoriya froze.
His face turned beet red.
Ren sighed.
Midoriya didn't answer—he just turned around and speed-walked away.
"Midoriya, what did Ren ask you?" Uraraka said immediately.
Midoriya practically jumped. "N-Nothing!"
And they left.
Soon, only Ren and Momo remained in the classroom.
"Shall we go to lunch as well?" Ren asked.
Momo smiled and wrapped her arm around his.
Together, they walked into the hallway.
As they did, Ren's focus subtly shifted.
Not his body—
—but another part of his consciousness.
Before coming to school, Ren had tested a new technique he'd developed over the past week.
A clone.
Using the newly refined Recreation function of Copycat, he had copied his own molecular structure and reconstructed a second body.
The material came from cow fat he'd bought at a supermarket—assimilated into his body using Chimera, repurposed as raw matter for creation.
Of course, a body alone was useless.
It had no life. No mind.
So Ren recreated specific Quirks within it.
Multitask.
Grip.
Livewire.
Using Multitask, he split his consciousness in two—one half remaining in his real body, the other inhabiting the clone.
Grip and Livewire gave it mobility, agility, stability, and sufficient power.
It wasn't a true clone.
Just a shell.
A puppet he could control remotely.
But it was enough.
While Ren walked through U.A.'s halls with Momo, smiled, chatted—
The clone moved through the city.
Leaping across rooftops.
Slipping through alleyways.
Watching.
Searching.
Ren scoured the streets for traces of Shigaraki's activity—hideouts, connections, patterns.
It wasn't efficient.
But it was persistent.
And if he could capture a few low-level villains himself, squeeze information out of them…
Then he might finally find something.
To be continued...
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