The planning room was covered in fabric samples, sketches, snack lists, and Denki's very unhelpful doodles.
Kaito was staring at the wall.
Untensing for the first time in days.
They had a plan.
They had a budget.
They had time.
He exhaled.
"…Wait."
Mina looked up mid-glitter-attack.
"What?"
Kaito's eyes widened slightly.
"I forgot something."
Denki gasped dramatically.
"You forgot the cake?"
"No—"
"The balloons?!"
"No!"
Bakugou groaned. "Spit it out."
Kaito ran a hand through his hair.
"Ren loves anime."
Silence.
Todoroki blinked once.
"…That feels important."
Kaito snapped his fingers.
"And games. He LOVES games."
Kirishima leaned forward immediately.
"What kind?"
Kaito's expression shifted into something almost fond.
"Okay so — horror games first. He replays them like it's therapy."
Denki lit up.
"NO WAY."
"Yeah. He's obsessed with Five Nights at Freddy's."
The room exploded.
"THAT EXPLAINS SO MUCH," Mina yelled.
Kaito nodded rapidly.
"He knows all the lore. All the timelines. He ranted for two hours about bite victims once."
Bakugou blinked slowly.
"…He doesn't talk that much."
"Exactly," Kaito said. "But about that? He won't shut up."
Kirishima slammed a hand on the table.
"THAT'S MANLY DEDICATION."
"And he likes Poppy Playtime too," Kaito added. "He says the atmosphere is 'psychologically interesting.'"
Denki wheezed.
"That's such a Ren sentence."
Mina was already writing:
HORROR GAME CORNER???
Todoroki tilted his head slightly.
"He likes being scared?"
Kaito shook his head.
"No. He likes solving things."
That quieted them slightly.
"He likes patterns. Mysteries. Hidden lore."
Mina scribbled faster.
Then Kaito snapped again.
"Oh my gosh — romance anime."
The entire room froze.
Bakugou slowly turned his head.
"…Romance?"
Kaito nodded, fully committed.
"He LOVES romance anime."
Denki clutched his chest.
"RENNNN?"
"Yes."
Mina leaned forward, sparkling.
"Titles. Now."
Kaito didn't hesitate.
"He likes Dealing with the Mikadono Sisters is a Breeze."
Todoroki nodded slightly.
"Balanced character dynamics."
Everyone stared at him.
"…What?"
Kaito continued, gaining confidence.
"And Spy x Family. He says it's 'a perfect blend of chaos and heart.'"
Kirishima pumped a fist.
"THAT SHOW IS MANLY."
"Right?!" Kaito said.
"And he likes action-mystery stuff too. If there's fights and plot twists and dramatic speeches about friendship, he's locked in."
Kirishima stood up.
"BRO. We need an ACTION CORNER."
Bakugou crossed his arms.
"This is getting out of hand."
"No it's not," Mina said. "This is becoming iconic."
🎉 Party Upgrade 2.0
The board was updated.
FORT THEME: Crimson & GoldSections Added:
🎮 Horror Lore Table (FNAF + Poppy references)
📺 Anime Projection Loop
❤️ Romance Snack Corner
💪 Action Hype Zone (Kirishima approved)
Denki raised a hand.
"What if we put subtle references everywhere instead of making it obvious?"
Kaito nodded quickly.
"Yes. He doesn't like being spotlighted too hard."
Todoroki added calmly, "We incorporate his interests into the environment instead of announcing them."
Bakugou rolled his eyes.
"…You're all ridiculous."
But he didn't leave.
Kaito leaned back in his chair.
He hadn't realized how much he'd been holding in.
Ren wasn't just:
Amnesia.
Hospital.
Mystery.
He was:
Late-night anime binges.
Arguing about horror lore.
Muting jump scares but refusing to skip scenes.
Making root beer floats at 2 AM.
Kaito smiled quietly.
"He pretends he's cool," he said softly. "But he gets embarrassed during romantic confessions."
Mina squealed so loud Todoroki flinched slightly.
🌙 Meanwhile — Ren
Ren sat cross-legged on his dorm floor.
Laptop open.
Paused on an episode of Spy x Family.
He frowned slightly.
"…Why does everyone keep asking what I like lately?"
He took a sip of root beer.
Outside his window—
The air shifted again.
Watching.
Listening.
Learning.