The room stayed quiet for a moment—
until Kaminari suddenly blinked and pointed at Ren.
"Wait… Ren," he said slowly,
"how did you know the Hero Commission didn't find their hideout?"
A few students froze.
Midoriya turned toward Ren sharply, eyes wide.
"Y-Yeah… Sensei never said that part yet."
Iida adjusted his glasses, engines humming anxiously.
"Ren! You spoke as if you are certain the Commission hasn't located VEGA's base.
How did you come to that conclusion?!"
Even Bakugo, who usually yelled first, frowned instead.
"…Oi. That's… suspicious."
Todoroki's gaze locked onto Ren—calm, piercing, analytical.
"You were very confident when you said it. Almost like you knew."
The tension in the classroom rose instantly.
Ren didn't flinch.
He stayed sitting naturally—too naturally—hands folded on the desk.
His expression was unreadable, voice calm as ever.
"It's obvious," Ren said.
"If the Hero Commission had found VEGA's hideout…"
He glanced toward Aizawa.
"…Sensei wouldn't be telling us they are still a major threat."
A few students exhaled, relieved—
but others weren't convinced.
Jiro narrowed her eyes.
"That's… actually a smart explanation, but… you said it like a fact, not a guess."
Sero leaned in.
"Yeah… like you weren't assuming—you were stating."
Aizawa watched Ren carefully, eyes half-open but sharp.
He didn't say anything yet, letting the moment hang.
Ren met their stares one by one, expression steady.
"I pay attention," he said simply.
"Heroes are searching. Villains are quiet.
If VEGA's base was found, the news wouldn't be this calm."
Todoroki continued watching him, quiet but suspicious.
He's too composed… too informed…
Midoriya scribbled notes desperately.
Bakugo clicked his tongue.
"Tch. Just don't act like you know everything."
But he also kept watching Ren…
because something about him didn't feel normal.
Aizawa finally stepped in.
"Enough."
His tone was calm but firm.
"Ren's reasoning is logical.
But…"
his eyes lingered on Ren for a second longer,
"…we'll talk
later."
Ren didn't react—he just gave a small, unreadable smile.
As the murmurs slowly faded, Ren raised his hand—not rushed, not nervous, but calm and controlled as always.
"Sensei," Ren said, his voice steady,
"I have some questions."
The room went still again.
Aizawa looked up from his desk, eyes half-lidded but clearly focused.
"…Go ahead."
Midoriya turned fully toward Ren, notebook ready.
Todoroki's gaze sharpened, curious what Ren wanted to ask.
Bakugo clicked his tongue but leaned forward anyway.
Even Iida stood a little straighter.
Ren kept his expression neutral, but there was a faint seriousness in his eyes—
the kind that made the class feel like his questions weren't simple ones.
"What is it, Ren?" Aizawa asked, his voice low and patient.
"You can ask."
The room fell silent, waiting for Ren's next words.
Ren lowered his hand slowly, eyes narrowing with a calm seriousness.
"What is Mastermind's quirk, Sensei?" he asked.
"Did they find out?"
The question hit the classroom like a cold wind.
Midoriya gasped softly.
"That's… that's an important question…"
Jiro leaned forward, curiosity replacing fear.
"Yeah… with everything he's done, what is he using?"
Kaminari scratched his head.
"Dude can trap Endeavor, outsmart heroes and villains, and control metal wires?
Is that all his quirk?"
Todoroki studied Ren carefully.
Why is he so focused on Mastermind's power?
Aizawa didn't answer immediately.
He stared at Ren—longer than usual—his eyes sharp, observant.
Finally, he spoke.
"…That's the problem."
The class went quiet.
"No one knows what Mastermind's quirk is," Aizawa said, voice low.
"Not the Hero Commission. Not the top heroes.
Not even All For One's records show a quirk matching his abilities."
Shock rippled through the room.
Iida stepped forward abruptly.
"Not even the Symbol of Evil's database?! That's impossible!"
Aizawa shook his head.
"He hides it too well.
Every time he fights, he only uses abilities that could be gadgets… or support gear… or strategy."
Midoriya's eyes widened, trembling with analysis.
"S-So… he never reveals the true quirk? Not even once?"
Aizawa nodded.
"That's why he's dangerous.
A villain whose power is completely unknown is harder to fight than one with overwhelming strength."
Ren didn't look shocked.
Instead, he remained calm… almost too calm.
Bakugo narrowed his eyes at him.
"…You asked that like you already had an answer."
Ren didn't reply—his expression unreadable, eyes glowing with a quiet thoughtfulness.
Aizawa's voice cut through the tension.
"Ren. Why are you so interested in Mastermind's quirk specifically?
"
The class turned toward Ren again—
waiting for his answer.
Ren finally answered, his voice calm but carrying a strange depth.
"I'm curious," he said, folding his hands on the desk.
"If he has a powerful quirk… then why didn't he become a hero?"
Ren's eyes lowered slightly, thoughtful.
"And if he isn't interested in heroism… then why did he say he's not a villain?"
The room reacted instantly.
Midoriya straightened, eyes wide.
"T-That's… actually a really good question…"
Uraraka tapped her chin.
"Yeah… someone that strong could've easily become a top hero."
Iida nodded rapidly, engines whirring.
"Indeed! Refusing heroism yet rejecting villainy is contradictory!
It defies structure!"
Kirishima scratched his head.
"So he doesn't want to save people… but also doesn't wanna hurt them?
That's weirdly complicated…"
Jiro spoke softly.
"Maybe he thinks both sides are wrong."
Bakugo scoffed loudly from his seat but didn't yell this time.
"Tch. Or he's just full of crap."
But even he looked curious despite himself.
Todoroki studied Ren closely—too closely.
"You're analyzing him like you understand his mindset, Ren."
Ren didn't look away.
"It's simple," he said quietly.
"People don't choose hero or villain for power.
They choose it based on what they believe the world needs."
Aizawa stared at Ren for a long, silent moment—
his gaze sharp, unreadable.
"Your questions," Aizawa finally said,
"sound like someone who's been thinking about Mastermind for a long time."
The class turned toward Ren again.
Ren's expression didn't change.
"I'm just trying to understand," he replied.
"Someone who refuses both sides…
usually has a reason."
A faint, almost invisible t
ension settled in the air—
like a string pulled tight.
Ren let out a small breath, almost like he had been holding something back.
Then he looked directly at Aizawa.
"Well… actually, Sensei," Ren said calmly,
"you know my quirk is Mastermind.
It helps me use my brain at 100%."
The reaction was instant—like the ground shook under Class A.
Midoriya's eyes blew wide open.
"W-Wait—your quirk name is Mastermind?!"
Kaminari nearly fell out of his chair.
"BRO WHAT?! That's the SAME name—!"
Mina froze in mid-blink.
"N-No way… no way, no way, no way—"
Iida's arms started chopping the air in pure panic.
"RE—REN! USING THE SAME NAME AS AN INTERNATIONAL VILLAIN GROUP LEADER IS EXTREMELY ALARMING!"
Even Bakugo, who never gets stunned, snapped his head toward Ren.
"You WHAT?! Your damn quirk is literally the same name as that bastard?!"
Todoroki didn't speak.
He just stared—long, quiet, calculating.
This can't be coincidence.
Aizawa's eyes slowly narrowed, tired expression turning razor sharp.
"Ren…" he said quietly,
"you never mentioned the name of your quirk before.
You only said it increases your mental capacity."
Ren shrugged lightly, expression calm—too calm.
"I didn't think the name mattered."
The class collectively shouted:
"IT DEFINITELY MATTERS!"
Ren continued, unfazed.
"My quirk lets me analyze situations, predict patterns, and make strategies instantly. That's why it's called Mastermind."
His eyes drifted down for a moment.
"It doesn't mean I'm connected to… him."
But the room remained tense—
everyone silently thinking the same thing:
This is no coincidence.
Aizawa stepped forward, scarf shifting.
"Ren," he said in a low, serious voice,
"we'll talk after class.
Privately."
Ren simply nodded, expression unreadable.
Ren lowered his gaze for a second, then looked back up with a serious, almost sharp calmness.
"That's the reason I'm interested in him," Ren said quietly, but every word carried weight.
"If I use my quirk to its full extent…
I might be able to figure out his true motive."
The room went still.
Midoriya swallowed. "Y-You want to analyze Mastermind himself…?"
Jiro leaned forward. "Ren, that's not just risky—that's insane."
Kirishima frowned. "Dude… using your brain at 100% to dig into someone like him—won't that mess you up?"
Ren didn't flinch.
Instead, he clenched his fist lightly, like he'd already made his decision long ago.
"If understanding him helps prevent a disaster… then I should do it," Ren said.
"Even if the Hero Commission can't find answers… maybe I can."
Aizawa's expression tightened, shadows covering half his face.
"Ren," he said in a low warning voice,
"pushing your quirk to its full capacity puts massive strain on your body and mind. And analyzing someone like him—someone who already outsmarted top heroes—"
His scarf rustled, tense.
"…isn't something you do alone."
Ren's eyes flickered with a rare determination.
"I don't plan to do it alone, Sensei."
He pauses.
"But I won't ignore it, either."
The whole class felt it:
Ren was getting involved with something far bigger than they realized.
And this was only the beginning.
Ren lifted his hand calmly.
"Sensei… may I explain on the board?"
The request was simple, but something in his voice made the entire class fall silent.
Aizawa blinked, surprised—Ren never volunteered like this.
"…Go ahead," Aizawa said, stepping aside.
Ren stood up.
His footsteps were soft, but every student watched him like he was walking toward a battlefield.
Even Bakugo stopped tapping his foot.
Ren picked up a piece of chalk.
For a moment, he faced the board in silence—
then he exhaled and began drawing quick, precise symbols and arrows, his movements sharp and controlled.
Midoriya leaned forward, whispering,
"He's… fast. He's thinking at high speed."
Momo adjusted her glasses.
"He's already in analysis mode. His focus is completely different."
Jiro murmured,
"Feels like watching a detective break open a case…"
Ren finally spoke, not turning around yet:
"To understand Mastermind… you can't think like a villain.
You can't think like a hero either."
He tapped the board.
"You have to think like someone who exists outside the system."
He turned toward the class, eyes sharp, voice steady.
"That is why I need to explain.
And why I need all of you to understand."
Aizawa crossed his arms.
"…Proceed."
Ren nodded once.
"Good. Then l
et me show you what I've figured out so far."
Ren placed the chalk against the board but didn't write yet.
Instead, he looked over his shoulder at the class—his expression calm, but his eyes sharp like he was opening a lecture that could change everything.
"Before anything else," Ren said slowly,
"we need to ask one question."
He turned fully, chalk still in hand.
"What is a hero's true motive?"
The room froze.
The question wasn't simple.
It wasn't the kind teachers asked.
It was the kind that shook people.
Midoriya's breath caught—this was his entire life's philosophy.
Kaminari blinked. "Uh… isn't it obvious? To save people?"
Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "Not always. Motives differ."
Momo whispered, "Some do it for justice… some for recognition… others for duty."
Bakugo scoffed loudly, "A hero's motive is strength. To rise above everyone else."
Ren pointed the chalk at him—calmly, not mocking.
"Exactly. Every hero says they want to save people.
But behind that… there are deeper motives."
He wrote on the board:
• Justice
• Fame
• Strength
• Recognition
• Money
• Duty
• Ego
• Compassion
Then he stepped aside so everyone could see.
"No hero is purely selfless," Ren continued.
"Not even All Might. Not even Endeavor.
Everyone has a reason that pushes them."
He tapped the last word he wrote:
• Purpose
"That purpose shapes everything they do—
their training, their decisions, their weaknesses… and their blind spots."
The class listened, stunned by how mature, clear, and coldly logical he sounded.
Aizawa's eyes narrowed with interest.
He's digging deeper than a student should.
Ren set the chalk down carefully.
"And if we don't understand what truly drives heroes…"
His voice lowered, almost
chilling.
"…then we can't understand someone who hates them."
Ren picked up the chalk again, turning slightly toward Aizawa as he spoke.
"Sensei… we all know quirks appeared suddenly a few generations ago."
The class quieted even further.
Ren drew a small timeline across the board—clean, sharp, measured.
"Humanity changed almost overnight.
One day we were normal… the next, powers nobody understood began showing up."
He underlined the start of the timeline.
"At first, people panicked. Governments collapsed. Crime exploded.
Quirks weren't seen as gifts—they were threats."
Midoriya nodded slowly, understanding where Ren was going.
Ren continued:
"And in response to that fear… society created a solution."
He wrote two words on the board in bold strokes:
HERO SYSTEM
"Our world needed order.
People needed symbols they could trust.
So they created heroes… people who were allowed to use their quirks in public."
He circled the word heroes.
"Not because they were the strongest.
Not because they were the most moral.
But because society needed someone to stabilize the chaos."
Ren turned back to the class, eyes focused.
"So the hero system wasn't born from justice."
He paused, letting the weight settle.
"It was born from fear."
A shiver passed through some of the students.
Kirishima muttered softly, "Fear… of quirks?"
Todoroki added, "Fear of what people could become."
Ren nodded.
"Exactly. Heroes were the answer to fear.
Villains became the label for everything the system couldn't control."
He placed the chalk down gently.
"And that's why understanding motives matters.
Because if quirks shaped society… then the people who reject that society—"
He looked at Aizawa.
"…like Mastermind—
might have a completely different view of the world."
Ren turned back to the board, writing a single word in large strokes:
VILLAIN
He tapped the chalk lightly against the underline.
"Now…"
He looked over his shoulder at the class, voice calm but carrying an eerie weight.
"Does anyone know what a villain truly is?
Or how villains even came to exist?"
Nobody answered at first.
Kaminari shrugged nervously.
"Uh… criminals with quirks? People who do bad stuff?"
Bakugo clicked his tongue.
"They're just weak idiots who choose the wrong path."
Todoroki shook his head slightly.
"It's not that simple."
Momo raised a hand hesitantly.
"Villains… emerged as chaos increased, after quirks appeared."
Ren nodded slowly.
"Good. But incomplete."
He drew two arrows under Villain:
SOCIAL REJECTION
SYSTEM FAILURE
Ren turned to face the class fully now.
"Villains don't appear because someone wakes up and decides to be evil."
He tapped the first arrow.
"They appear when society rejects someone—
their quirk, their beliefs, their identity."
Then he tapped the second arrow.
"And they appear when the hero system fails someone so badly…
that crime becomes the only option they feel they have left."
The class fell silent.
Even Bakugo stopped smirking.
Ren stepped closer to the board, voice quieter but sharper:
"Before the hero system existed, a 'villain' was just a person with a dangerous quirk.
Not a criminal.
Not a monster."
He circled the word villain.
"But once the system gave power to heroes…
anyone outside that system became a threat."
Midoriya's eyes widened.
"Ren… you're saying villains are created by the system?"
Ren's gaze didn't waver.
"I'm saying villains are a reaction.
Not a natural enemy.
A consequence."
Aizawa narrowed his eyes—Ren was touching truths even pros avoided discussing.
Ren continued, voice steady:
"And the most dangerous villains…"
He paused.
"…are the ones who reject both the hero system and the criminal world."
The class felt a cold wave run through them.
Jiro whispered, "Like… Mastermind."
Ren nodded once.
"Exactly."
He picked up the chalk again.
"And that brings us to the real question."
He wrote:
WHY DO VILLAINS LIKE HIM EXIST?
Then he turned to the class, eyes sharp with intent.
"Because not everyone fits into the boxes society created
Ren stepped back from the board, eyes scanning each student as if measuring their understanding.
Then he said the line that made the whole room freeze.
"Hero society was created because of quirks."
His voice was quiet, steady.
He tapped the word Villain on the board.
"And villains were born because that same system rejected people with quirks it couldn't control."
He drew a circle around both words.
"Heroes. Villains."
He crossed both out with a single slash.
"Both exist because quirks exist."
The chalk clicked against the board—sharp, final.
Ren's eyes narrowed.
"So if he truly wants peace…"
He paused, letting the silence darken.
"…then what happens if someone decides to cut off the root?"
The moment those words left his mouth—
The entire class snapped into pure anime shock.
Midoriya's eyes went wide, pupils shaking violently.
"H-He means—! You can't mean—!!"
Kirishima jumped out of his seat.
"BRO, THAT'S— THAT'S LIKE— ENDING QUIRKS?! THAT'S INSANE!"
Jiro slammed her hands on her desk.
"No way—no way someone could think like that!"
Momo's breath hitched, her voice trembling.
"A world… without quirks? That would destroy the entire structure of society…"
Todoroki's hand twitched toward his side, frost forming unconsciously.
"To erase the origin… that's beyond villainy. That's… ideology."
Kaminari's jaw dropped comically.
"D-Dude, that's like hitting the reset button on humanity!!"
Even Bakugo's eyes widened for a split second before he growled,
"He's out of his damn mind!"
But the classroom went truly silent when they looked at Aizawa.
His face was pale.
Eyes wide open.
His scarf slack—completely stunned.
Aizawa whispered only one word, barely audible:
"…Impossible."
Ren didn't break eye contact with him.
"It sounds impossible," he said softly,
"But so did freezing All For One.
So did breaking Tartarus.
So did turning heroes against each other."
Ren looked around the room.
"Mastermind said he isn't a hero.
He said he isn't a villain."
He pointed at the crossed-out words again.
"He wants peace.
And he's targeting the root that created heroes and villains in the first place."
Midoriya shook his head violently, fear forming in his voice:
"Ren… if that's really his goal… then he isn't trying to destroy society."
Todoroki finished the sentence for him, cold and grim:
"He's trying to rewrite the world."
The entire room fell into suffocating silence.
Ren l
owered the chalk.
"And that," he said calmly,
"is why someone like him terrifies me."