The next day—
Ren stood alone on a quiet, half-forgotten road not far from the city. Cracked asphalt, overgrown weeds along the sides, and the distant hum of traffic made it the perfect meeting place: out of the way, unnoticed.
He was dressed casually today—simple clothes, no mask, no attempt to hide who he was.
He had told Midoriya, Momo, and Uraraka to meet him here.
Footsteps approached.
Ren looked up—and saw Momo.
She slowed to a stop a few steps away from him.
For a brief moment, she didn't speak.
She stood with her weight shifting slightly from one foot to the other, hands clasped behind her back. The white dress she wore caught the sunlight softly, its clean lines elegant yet unexpectedly form-fitting. The high collar framed her neck neatly, but she was suddenly far more aware of how close the fabric felt against her skin.
[Image Here]
She glanced away, drawing in a quiet breath, reminding herself it was just a casual outing.
Still… her heart beat a little faster than she'd expected.
"Hi…" Ren said, breaking the silence. His voice was slower than usual.
His cheeks warmed almost immediately.
She was… stunning.
"H-Hi, Ren…" Momo replied, eyes flicking back to him before darting away again.
Ren cleared his throat, forcing himself to recompose.
"You're stunning."
Momo froze.
Then her face flushed deeply.
"T-Thank you…" she stammered.
She looked at him again—and frowned slightly.
"Wait… Ren," she said, eyes narrowing in confusion. "Why are you… taller than yesterday?"
Ren scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
After gaining Herculean Strength, his appetite had been monstrous. Five kilograms of food later, his body had simply… adjusted.
He'd woken up taller.
"Ah… I was experimenting with my Quirk yesterday," he said smoothly. "Ended up overloading my growth hormones with energy."
Momo blinked.
"You can… do that?"
Ren chuckled lightly.
"Fortunately, it wasn't much. Otherwise, you might've seen me show up with a full beard."
Momo couldn't help it—she laughed softly.
Then—
"Hey, guys!"
Ren turned as Midoriya jogged toward them, dressed casually, waving nervously.
"Hi…" he said, then stopped short when he reached them. His eyes widened as he looked at Ren.
"W-Whoa—! Ren, why are you so much taller?!"
Ren sighed and repeated the explanation.
Midoriya's eyes lit up immediately, gears visibly turning.
"You can influence your own hormones… then theoretically you could regulate metabolism, control adrenaline output—"
Flick.
"Ahi!" Midoriya yelped, clutching his forehead.
"Stop it," Ren said flatly.
Midoriya winced. "Y-You didn't have to go that hard…"
A small patch of skin had actually peeled.
Ren stared at his fingers.
…Damn it.
Even splitting his consciousness three ways—two entirely dedicated to control—he still couldn't fully regulate his strength.
Herculean Strength had made the problem worse.
"…Sorry," Ren muttered.
He looked away slightly.
I really need to avoid fighting for a while… if I don't want to kill someone.
Then—
"Hey, Midoriya!"
A cheerful voice called out from behind Midoriya.
Midoriya spun around—and froze.
"U-Uraraka?!" he blurted, face instantly turning red. "W-What are you doing here?!"
Uraraka tilted her head, confused.
"Ren invited me too. Why? You didn't know?"
Midoriya slowly turned toward Ren.
"R-Ren… why didn't you tell me?!"
Ren didn't answer.
Instead, he grabbed Midoriya by the back of his collar and lifted him clean off the ground—effortlessly, like picking up a child.
"Calm down," Ren said calmly. "This is just my way of apologizing."
Uraraka blinked.
"What has that to do with having invited me?"
Midoriya's face went even redder.
"L-Let me down, Ren…" he muttered, unable to look at anyone.
Ren chuckled and set him back on his feet.
"Yeah, yeah."
As Ren straightened—
He felt something brush against his arm.
Then linger.
He looked down.
Momo.
Her fingers were lightly pressing against his bicep, eyes unfocused, as if she hadn't even realized she was doing it.
"…Momo," Ren said gently.
No response.
"Momo," he tried again. "You know that's sexual harassment, right?"
She snapped out of it instantly.
"Ah—! S-Sorry!" she stammered, face burning red as she pulled her hand back.
Ren and Uraraka both chuckled.
Midoriya and Momo stood there, fuming from embarrassment.
...
The four of them arrived at the cinema shortly after.
It was a modern complex—glass walls, wide posters plastered with upcoming releases, the smell of popcorn lingering thick in the air.
Compared to the desolated road they had met on earlier, this place felt almost overwhelming.
They hadn't even taken five steps inside when—
"Ren!"
A man in his forties approached them energetically, waving as he walked over. He had long brown hair tied neatly into a bun, black-framed glasses, and the unmistakable air of someone who was completely at ease in this environment.
Ren sighed. "…Hi, Kenji."
Uraraka stared at the man, tilting her head slightly.
I've seen him somewhere…
Midoriya, on the other hand, froze.
His face drained of color.
"T-That's—Iseri Kenji?!" he exclaimed, voice cracking. "The legend of Japanese cinema?! The director of The Arrow Hero?! The director of this film?!"
Iseri Kenji scratched the back of his neck awkwardly.
"Well… thank you for the introduction," he said with a chuckle. "You did a better job than most TV hosts."
"A-Ah—s-sorry!" Midoriya said immediately, bowing slightly, now red with embarrassment.
Kenji laughed it off.
Ren rubbed his temple.
"Midoriya… you already knew he's my agent. Why are you making such a scene?"
"I-I'm sorry…" Midoriya apologized again, reflexively.
"Don't bully the kid, Ren."
Kenji lightly smacked Ren on the head.
Ren barely reacted.
Then Kenji's gaze shifted to Momo and Uraraka, a grin spreading across his face.
"And you two cuties?" he said casually. "Which one of you is his girlfriend?"
Both girls stiffened.
Kenji leaned closer, examining them with far too much interest.
He looked at Uraraka first.
"Hmmm… you could be his type…" he mused. "…Ah, no. Too short. And…" his eyes flicked over her quickly, far too critically, "…your body isn't that outstanding."
Uraraka blinked.
Once.
Twice.
She felt a sharp sting of offense rise in her chest.
Excuse me?!
Kenji then turned toward Momo.
"Mmm…" he hummed approvingly. "Black hair, black eyes, tall, looks smart…" His gaze lingered far too long. "…and a great body."
Momo's brain short-circuited.
"Yeah," Kenji concluded cheerfully. "You're Ren's prototype of a perfect girl."
Her face went beet red—far worse than before.
"Y-You're his girlfriend, right?" he added.
"Stop it, Kenji," Ren said immediately.
"Oh?" Kenji chuckled, noticing something.
"…Ohhh."
He leaned back, smirking.
"So you like her, huh?"
Ren's cheeks burned.
"Shut up," he snapped.
Lightning began to crackle faintly through his hair.
Kenji raised both hands instantly.
"Okay, okay—message received. I'll stop."
Drin—drin—
Kenji's phone rang.
He glanced at the screen.
"Oh. It's Spielberg."
Midoriya's jaw dropped.
"…Spielberg?" he whispered faintly.
Kenji nodded casually.
"Probably about your next movie, Ren. I should take this."
He turned to leave, then paused and glanced back at the group.
"Take care of Ren, you guys," he said lightly. "You're the first friends he's ever had. He's quite the asocial one—"
Crack.
The sound of lightning snapping cut him off.
Ren's hair flared again.
Kenji didn't hesitate.
He practically sprinted toward his limousine.
"Have a great day, guys! Ren—tell me what you think of the movie later!"
The limousine sped off as if fleeing a natural disaster.
The air fell silent.
Ren's hair slowly calmed.
Momo stood frozen, face still burning red.
Midoriya looked like he had just witnessed divinity.
And Uraraka—
Uraraka crossed her arms, clearly offended.
To be continued...
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