The TV screen went black.
No one spoke for a few seconds.
The USB still sat plugged into the monitor.
Finally, Denki Kaminari broke the silence.
"…So villains just sent Ren a get-well video."
"Basically," said Mina Ashido, blinking.
Eijiro Kirishima rubbed the back of his head.
"That was… weirdly wholesome. In a terrifying way."
Across the room, Shota Aizawa looked anything but amused.
His eyes stayed locked on the dark TV screen.
Thinking.
Calculating.
Meanwhile Kaito leaned over Ren's bed.
"…You okay, dude?"
Ren slowly nodded.
"…I think so."
But honestly?
He had no idea what to think.
Villains threatening him made sense.
Villains checking if he was okay?
That part made zero sense.
Aizawa stepped forward and removed the USB from the monitor.
His voice was calm.
Too calm.
"Everyone except Ren can leave."
Immediately the room filled with protests.
"What?!" said Denki.
"Why?" Mina asked.
Kirishima frowned.
"We're his friends!"
Aizawa sighed.
"Which is exactly why I'm asking."
The room slowly cleared.
Students shuffled out one by one.
Eventually only three people remained.
Ren.
Aizawa.
And Nezu.
Nezu hopped onto the desk, paws folded neatly.
The tiny principal looked thoughtful.
"Ren," he said gently.
"Yes?"
Nezu tilted his head.
"Have you ever met Tomura Shigaraki before?"
Ren blinked.
"…No?"
Aizawa spoke next.
"What about Himiko Toga?"
Ren hesitated.
"Well… technically?"
Both adults looked at him.
"…She leaves me sticky notes."
Nezu nodded slowly.
"Yes. We noticed."
Aizawa crossed his arms.
"That video wasn't random."
Ren looked confused.
"What do you mean?"
Aizawa pointed at the dark TV.
"They didn't just check on you."
Nezu finished the thought.
"They expected you to survive."
Ren blinked.
"…Isn't that good?"
Aizawa's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Not necessarily."
Ren sat up a little straighter.
"…Why?"
Nezu's smile faded just a bit.
"Because villains rarely care about strangers."
Silence filled the room again.
Then Nezu quietly continued.
"Which means one of two things."
He held up a paw.
"Either they are interested in you…"
Another paw lifted.
"…or they already know something about you."
Ren felt a strange chill crawl up his spine.
Aizawa looked toward the window.
Thinking again.
Then he muttered quietly to Nezu.
"They were too calm."
Nezu nodded.
"Exactly."
Aizawa turned back to Ren.
"When Shigaraki looked at the camera…"
"…he looked like he recognized you."
Ren's stomach dropped slightly.
"…That's impossible."
Aizawa didn't answer.
Because he wasn't sure it was impossible.
Nezu jumped down from the desk.
"There is one more possibility."
Ren swallowed.
"…What?"
Nezu's red eyes glinted.
"The League of Villains might know something about your past."
Aizawa glanced toward the hospital files stacked on the desk.
The ones that had almost no information.
No parents.
No records.
No history.
Nothing.
Except a single name.
Ren.
Aizawa exhaled slowly.
"…Which means we have a bigger problem."
Ren felt nervous now.
"…What problem?"
Aizawa answered quietly.
"If the League knows more about you than we do…"
"…then someone out there already knows what you really are."
The room fell completely silent.
Outside the window…
The evening wind rustled the trees.
And somewhere far away…
Someone laughed softly.