The air still felt… different.
Even after the domain shattered.
Even after everyone calmed down.
Something had changed—and not just in me.
I could feel it.
Like space itself had noticed.
After the Demonstration
"YOU DID WHAT?!" Denki yelled for the fifth time.
"I told you already," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "I figured out the structure, stabilized the rules, and—"
Midoriya cut in, practically vibrating with excitement.
"YOU PERFECTLY RECREATED A DOMAIN EXPANSION USING SPATIAL INTERPRETATION AND ADAPTIVE RULE TRANSLATION—DO YOU EVEN UNDERSTAND HOW INSANE THAT IS?!"
"…I mean, yeah," I said.
Kirishima slapped my shoulder.
"BRO, THAT WAS THE MANLIEST THING I'VE EVER SEEN!"
Bakugo scoffed.
"Tch. Don't let it get to your head."
But he was smirking.
That alone said enough.
Nearby, Hiromi Higuruma stood silently, watching me.
"You didn't just copy it," he said calmly.
"I know," I replied.
"You made it… yours."
I nodded.
"…And I can do more."
That's when the atmosphere shifted.
Not loudly.
Not dramatically.
But sharply.
Like something… slipped.
Elsewhere…
Far from the training grounds.
Far from the laughter, the noise, the amazement—
A figure crouched in the shadows.
Watching.
Listening.
Waiting.
A faint ripple in space.
A distortion.
A trace left behind.
And she felt it.
Himiko Toga tilted her head slowly.
Her eyes widened.
"…Ren…"
Her voice was soft.
Breathy.
Almost… excited.
The knife in her hand twitched.
"…You did something new…"
She stood up slowly, stepping forward into the faint shimmer left behind in the air.
"…Something big…"
Her smile spread.
Wider.
Sharper.
Unstable.
"…I can feel it~"
Back at the Training Grounds
I froze mid-step.
"…Did you guys feel that?"
Kaito looked at me.
"…Feel what?"
I frowned.
"…Something just… shifted."
Gojo glanced over, interested.
"Oh?"
But before I could explain—
She Arrives
A ripple.
A tear in space.
Unstable.
Wild.
Nothing like mine.
And then—
She stepped through it.
"REN!!!"
My eyes widened instantly.
"…NOPE."
I vanished.
The Chase Begins (Again)
I reappeared ten feet away—
Just in time to dodge a knife slicing through the air where my head was.
"Come onnnn~!" Himiko Toga giggled, spinning toward me. "You did something SO COOL without me?! That's mean!"
"Toga, NO—" I teleported again.
She lunged.
Missed.
Barely.
Denki screamed.
"SHE'S BACK?!"
Kirishima jumped in front of Mina.
"REN, WHAT DID YOU DO?!"
"I DIDN'T DO ANYTHING—THIS TIME!"
Toga tilted her head, watching me blink around the field.
"…You're faster now."
Her grin widened.
"…I like that."
She dashed forward again—
Faster than before.
I teleported behind a tree—
She appeared on the branch above me.
Knife already swinging.
"FOUND YOU~!"
I dropped through a portal just in time.
"…WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS?!" I shouted, reappearing across the field.
She Knows
Toga stopped suddenly.
Standing still.
Watching me.
Really watching.
"…You changed."
My heart skipped.
"…What?"
She stepped forward slowly.
"…Your space feels different."
Silence.
"…Sharper."
Another step.
"…Stronger."
Another.
"…Closer to me."
"…That doesn't even make sense," I said.
She giggled.
"It does to me~"
Then—
Her expression softened.
Just a little.
"…I felt it, you know."
"…Felt what?"
She placed a hand over her chest.
"…That big thing you made."
My eyes widened slightly.
"…The domain?"
She nodded.
"…It was like you were everywhere all at once."
A pause.
"…I liked it."
The Obsession Deepens
Her grip tightened on her knife.
"…It made me want to be closer to you."
"…Toga…"
She tilted her head.
"…If you can make spaces like that…"
"…then I want to be inside them too."
I took a step back.
"…That sounds worse when you say it like that."
She smiled.
Soft.
Dangerous.
"…Then don't run."
Silence.
"…Stay still."
Her eyes gleamed.
"…Let me catch you."
"NOPE."
I teleported instantly.
Chaos Returns
And just like that—
The field exploded back into chaos.
Me teleporting everywhere.
Toga chasing relentlessly.
Students yelling.
Bakugo laughing.
Midoriya taking notes mid-panic.
And in the middle of it all—
I realized something terrifying.
She wasn't just chasing me anymore.
She was learning me.
And if I could evolve this fast…
Then what would happen—
If she kept up?
I teleported again, barely dodging another strike.
"…This is getting out of hand…"
But somewhere deep down…
A thought lingered.
If I kept growing…
And she kept following…
Then this wasn't just a chase anymore.
It was becoming something else entirely.
And I wasn't sure if I should be excited…
Or very, very worried.