The observation room vibrated with the tension of the ongoing battle. Ren leaned against the back wall with Toru at his side, who moved excitedly while they both watched the multiple screens showing the match for Team C.
"Look, look!" Toru's invisible voice sounded excited near his ear. "Tokoyami kun just used Dark Shadow to block that attack! It is so cool!"
Ren nodded while he watched Tokoyami's living shadow intercept a strike from Ojiro on one of the security screens.
"Dark Shadow is incredibly versatile," Ren commented. "Although it has obvious weaknesses against intense light."
On the screens, Todoroki was positioning himself strategically on the second floor of the training building. His expression remained neutral while he placed his right hand against the ground.
"Something big is about to happen," Ren murmured.
It was at that moment when his peripheral vision caught movement at the entrance of the observation room. Mina had just walked in, walking with an imperceptible rigidity that immediately triggered Ren's mental alarms.
That is strange, he thought while watching her approach the group. She walks as if she is holding something back.
The pink skinned girl looked slightly sweaty even though the observation room was perfectly air conditioned. There was a particular gleam in her eyes, a kind of contained satisfaction mixed with visible discomfort. Her cheeks showed a deeper blush than her natural skin tone.
What the hell happened to her?
Ren's innate curiosity, combined with his inherently perverted nature, led him to make a decision. He activated his X ray vision.
The layers of fabric of Mina's hero costume became translucent to his mental perception. First, the outer layer of the vibrant colored suit disappeared. Then the inner fabric designed to absorb sweat. And then Ren saw something completely unexpected.
She is not wearing a bra.
Mina's breasts were completely free under the suit, moving slightly with every step she took. But what truly captured Ren's attention were her nipples. They were completely erect, pressing visibly against the inner fabric of the suit. The color was fascinating. While her skin was a bright and vibrant pink, her nipples were a much softer and delicate tone, almost like cherry blossom petals.
Beautiful, Ren thought before he could censor himself.
But there were more details that did not add up. When he expanded his vision toward the briefcase Mina carried on her shoulder, he could clearly see her normal school uniform folded inside along with her sports bra.
Wait. Did she change back into her hero costume after putting on her uniform?
The sequence made no logical sense. The protocol was simple: use the hero suit during exercises, change into the uniform afterward. Why would Mina have bothered changing into her uniform only to put the hero costume back on?
Unless she needed to take something off specifically from the suit, Ren reasoned. Like a bra that was bothering her too much. But even then it makes no sense.
Curiosity transformed into suspicion. Ren extended his telepathy toward Mina, barely brushing the surface of her conscious thoughts. What he caught made him feel immediately guilty.
I hope no one notices anything strange, Mina's thought resonated with barely contained anxiety. Why am I still so sensitive? Damn it, the feeling will not go away. Calm down, Mina. Act normal. You already relieved yourself in the bathroom. You should be fine now.
Crap.
Ren cut the telepathic connection abruptly.
It was my fault. This morning when I experimented by increasing her sensitivity during our casual conversation, I should have completely deactivated the effect. But I did not. I left it active subtly without realizing it.
And now Mina had spent the entire day in a state of constant arousal that she could not control or understand.
You are an idiot, he insulted himself mentally.
He looked again at Mina, who was now talking to Kirishima near the front of the room. Her legs were trembling imperceptibly, probably from the muscular tension accumulated from maintaining self control all day. Her next match was about to begin, and in her current state, she would not be able to perform at one hundred percent. And that was completely his fault.
I have to fix it. Now.
Ren closed his eyes, focusing completely. He extended his telepathic power again toward Mina, but this time with a completely different purpose. Instead of reading or manipulating, he searched for the areas of her brain responsible for sexual arousal and emotional tension.
He found exactly what he expected: neurotransmitters firing erratically, keeping her nervous system in a state of alert and high sensitivity. His morning manipulation had left a kind of loop in her brain chemistry, constantly reapplying the effect without him actively maintaining it.
Like leaving a mental door open.
Carefully, he began to close that door. He adjusted the chemical levels back to their normal state, gradually reducing the hypersensitivity he had accidentally implanted. It was a delicate process that required all his concentration, like untangling a knot without pulling too hard on any specific thread.
He watched Mina from his position, noticing the almost immediate change in her body language. Her shoulders relaxed visibly. The trembling in her legs stopped. Her expression, previously tense under her forced smile, softened genuinely.
It worked. Ren sighed mentally with relief.
Mina blinked several times, clearly surprised by the sudden change in how she felt. She touched her face with one hand, as if verifying that she was not imagining the sudden sensation of normalcy. Then a real smile, bright and relieved, spread across her face while she talked with more enthusiasm to Kirishima.
At least I fixed my error, Ren thought. But I have to be more careful.
"HAYASHI KUN!"
Toru's voice pulled him abruptly from his guilty thoughts. Her uniform practically vibrated with excitement while she pointed toward the screens.
"Look at what Todoroki kun is doing!"
Ren turned his attention back to the screens just in time to witness something absolutely spectacular. Shoto Todoroki had placed his right foot firmly against the floor of the second floor. Then he released his Quirk.
Ice exploded from his foot like an unleashed crystalline avalanche. It expanded with brutal speed and force, covering every surface of the building in seconds. The walls disappeared under thick layers of bright blue ice. The ceiling transformed into a winter landscape. The lower floors were consumed by instant freezing.
On the screens, Ren could see Tokoyami and Ojiro completely frozen in solid blocks of ice, trapped like glass statues. Dark Shadow had tried to protect Tokoyami but had also been frozen, its dark form preserved inside the ice like a prehistoric fossil.
The ice did not stop at the building. It continued expanding outward, breaking through the exterior walls. The observation room exploded in shouts of amazement.
"WHAT THE HELL!" Kaminari practically screamed.
"That power is absolutely monstrous," Jiro murmured with her eyes wide open.
"The scale of that attack," Momo said pensively, "would require an extraordinary amount of control and raw power. Todoroki kun is incredibly strong."
Ren whistled softly, genuinely impressed.
"It really is incredible," he admitted. "In the anime it did not look this spectacular, but I have to admit that seeing it in person is scary."
He turned toward where Toru's uniform was floating.
"You are lucky you did not have to face him, Hagakure san. That attack would have ended your match in literally five seconds."
There was a pause. Then Ren felt as if Toru were crossing her arms.
"I could defeat him in one hit," her voice declared with absolute confidence.
Ren blinked.
"Seriously?" he managed to say through laughter. "Defeat Todoroki in one hit?"
"Completely serious!" Toru insisted. "I just need to get close enough without him seeing me, which is literally my specialty, and give him a good hit. Instant knockout!"
"That is assuming you can get close before he freezes the entire building with you inside," Ren pointed out, still smiling.
"The details are irrelevant," Toru declared with false dignity. "The point is that theoretically I could do it."
"Theoretically you could also fly if you flap your arms fast enough."
"That is completely different!"
"Is it?"
Before Toru could respond with what would undoubtedly be an indignant counterargument, All Might's amplified voice resonated through the observation room.
"THE TEAM C HAS WON IN AN ABSOLUTELY OVERWHELMING MANNER! ALTHOUGH I MUST POINT OUT THAT YOUNG TODOROKI USED EXCESSIVE FORCE! A HERO MUST KNOW WHEN TO RESTRAIN HIS POWER!"
There were murmurs of agreement among the students. On the screens, Recovery Girl was already running toward the frozen building to treat Tokoyami and Ojiro for hypothermia.
"NOW!" All Might continued with his characteristic enthusiasm. "IT IS TIME FOR TEAM D! YOUNG ASHIDO AND YOUNG HAGAKURE AS HEROES AGAINST YOUNG AOYAMA AND YOUNG SATO AS VILLAINS!"
Ren felt excitement shoot through his chest. This was Toru's match. He turned toward where Toru's uniform was and, without thinking twice, placed his hands on her shoulders. He began to give her a firm massage, like a trainer preparing a boxer before an important fight.
"You have this, Hagakure san," he said with genuine conviction. "You are going to give them a beating. Use your invisibility strategically. Do not rush. Let them make mistakes trying to find you."
"H Hayashi kun!" Toru's voice sounded surprised and slightly embarrassed. "What are you doing?"
"Preparing you mentally for victory," he responded without stopping the massage. "Does it work?"
There was a pause. Then with a more confident voice.
"Yes. It works."
"Perfect. Now go out there and show why invisibility is terrifying in the right hands."
Toru moved away toward the exit of the observation room, but not before Ren heard a soft "Thank you" that was barely audible.
Ren then walked toward where Mina was stretching near the door, preparing for her own match. The pink girl saw him approaching and smiled brightly at him, all the previous tension completely absent from her expression.
"Hayashi kun! Did you come to wish me luck?"
"Exactly that," Ren nodded. "You are going to do an incredible job out there, Ashido san. Your acid is perfect for creating difficult terrain and controlling the movement of the enemy."
"I know, right!" Mina did a little dance of excitement. "I already have like five hundred ideas on how to use my Quirk creatively. This is going to be so much fun!"
"Just be careful," Ren warned. "Aoyama has that navel laser that can cause serious damage from a distance. And Sato becomes incredibly strong when he consumes sugar."
"Don't worry, don't worry," Mina winked at him. "I have everything under control. Besides, I have Toru chan as a partner. We are unstoppable together!"
At least she is no longer suffering because of me, Ren thought with relief as he watched Mina leave with renewed energy.
He returned to his position at the back of the observation room just as the screens began to show the starting positions of the match. Aoyama and Sato were on the fifth floor defending the bomb. Mina and Toru were at the entrance of the building.
"Interesting pairing," a polite female voice commented at his side.
Ren turned to find Momo positioning herself next to him, her dark eyes focused analytically on the screens.
"Yaoyorozu san," he greeted. "Did you come to analyze everyone's tactics for future matches?"
"Observing and learning from every battle is essential," Momo responded with her characteristically serious tone. "Every student has unique strengths and weaknesses that are worth studying."
"And what do you think of this specific pairing?" Ren asked with genuine curiosity. "Who do you think will win?"
Momo considered the question carefully, her expression thoughtful.
"Objectively speaking, the villain team has significant advantages in terms of direct attack power. Aoyama kun's laser can cover long distances with precision, while Sato kun's increased strength makes him formidable in close combat. However..."
She stopped, biting her lower lip slightly as she processed additional variables.
"However?" Ren urged her to continue.
"However, Ashido san has superior mobility and her acid can alter the battlefield in ways that make defensive positioning difficult. And Hagakure san..." Momo made a significant pause, "is a complete unknown. Her invisibility makes her unpredictable. We cannot track her movements or anticipate her actions."
"So you predict that the hero team will win?"
"Not necessarily," Momo shook her head. "Aoyama kun and Sato kun only need to defend a fixed point. It is easier to maintain a position than to assault one. If they can coordinate their defenses effectively and use Aoyama kun's laser to keep distance while Sato kun acts as a physical wall, they could hold out for the full fifteen minutes."
Ren nodded, impressed by the complete tactical analysis.
"Those are good points. Although personally I have all my faith placed in Hagakure san."
Momo looked at him with curiosity.
"Why specifically in her?"
"Because people underestimate how terrifying true invisibility is," Ren explained. "It is not just that you cannot see her. It is that your brain cannot process that there is a threat there. It creates a psychological blind spot. That is incredibly valuable in combat."
"It is an interesting point of view," Momo admitted. "Although her invisibility also means she cannot communicate easily with her teammate during the battle."
"Ashido san seems to be quite good at reading the battlefield," Ren observed. "I think they will adapt well together."
On the screens, the signal sounded. The match officially began.
Mina entered the building first, using her acid to create a slippery path on the ground behind her, making it difficult for anyone to pursue her effectively. Her movement was fluid and confident, clearly more comfortable now that the previous tension had disappeared completely.
Good, Ren thought. At least I fixed that problem.
"Ashido san is establishing territorial control from the beginning!" Iida commented from his position near the front of the room. "A solid strategy!"
On the fifth floor, Aoyama was posing dramatically near the bomb, his belt glowing as he prepared to fire his laser. Sato was eating sugar quickly, his muscles already beginning to bulge with his increased strength.
"Il faut que je sois fabuleux!" Aoyama declared in French, aiming his laser toward the stairs.
That boy is so dramatic, Ren thought with amusement. But his Quirk is genuinely dangerous.
Mina reached the second floor when the first laser shot tore through the air where she had been standing a second before. The pink girl threw herself to the side, using her acid to slide across the floor with surprising speed.
"Mon Dieu! You are very fast!" Aoyama exclaimed.
Another laser shot. Mina dodged it, throwing acid upward that began to eat slowly through the ceiling of the second floor.
"Interesting," Momo murmured. "She is weakening the structure. She probably plans to create an alternative route upward."
"Or she is being a distraction," Ren added.
On the screens, a door on the third floor opened silently. No one else seemed to notice it, but Ren knew exactly what it meant.
Toru is flanking.
"Did you notice that?" he asked Momo in a low voice.
"Notice what?" Momo frowned, scanning the screens carefully.
"Exactly," Ren smiled. "That is the power of real invisibility."
On the fifth floor, Sato had positioned his massive and muscular body directly in front of the bomb, creating a physical barrier. His eyes scanned the entrance constantly, waiting for Mina to appear at any moment.
But Mina was busy on the second floor, creating more chaos with her acid. She had covered the main stairs with corrosive substance, making it impossible to use them without suffering severe damage.
"She is cutting off escape routes," Kirishima observed. "That is tactical!"
Aoyama fired another laser, this one connecting with Mina's shoulder and making her scream. The pink girl rolled behind a column, grabbing her injured shoulder.
"Ashido san is hurt!" Ochako exclaimed with concern.
But Mina only smiled. She put her hand on the floor and released a massive amount of acid that began to spread across the entire surface of the second floor like a corrosive flood.
"What is she doing?" Mineta asked confused. "She is going to get trapped in her own acid!"
"No," Momo denied. "Observe how she moves. She is using the acid as a means of transport, sliding over it as if it were ice. It is brilliant."
And she was right. Mina was surfing over her own acid, moving with speed and grace while avoiding more laser shots from Aoyama.
Meanwhile, on the fourth floor, a window opened silently. Toru had been climbing the outside of the building, completely invisible and undetectable.
"Sato kun is not monitoring all possible entries," Momo observed sharply. "He is too focused on the main stairs and on the sounds of Ashido san below."
"It is the classic mistake when facing invisibility," Ren explained. "You assume the threat will come from where you can hear activity. But the true threat is the silence."
On the screens, Toru had reached the fifth floor hallway. She moved with extreme care, avoiding making any sound. Her steps were perfectly silent, a product of her training with her Quirk.
Aoyama kept firing downward, completely unaware of the presence behind him.
"Il faut que je finisse ceci rapidement!" he declared dramatically.
Sato grunted in agreement, his eyes still fixed on the main entrance.
Toru approached. Barely three meters away now.
Then Mina did something unexpected. She created a massive ramp of acid that went up from the second floor directly toward the ceiling of the fourth floor. Then she propelled herself upward, surfing the ramp with incredible speed.
"HERE I COME!" she shouted with deliberate enthusiasm.
Both villains turned toward the noise.
And that was the exact moment when Toru attacked.
Her gloves connected with the back of Aoyama's knees with force. The dramatic boy collapsed instantly with a surprised cry.
"Quoi?! Qu'est ce qui se passe?!"
Sato turned sharply, but Mina had already broken through the weakened ceiling, landing directly in front of him with a wild smile.
"Surprise!"
She threw acid directly at Sato's eyes, who screamed and covered his face instinctively. His increased strength was useless if he could not see his opponent.
Toru took advantage of the confusion. Her gloves moved quickly, pushing Aoyama away from where he could defend the bomb effectively. Then one of her gloves touched the metallic surface of the simulated bomb.
The alarm sounded.
"THE HERO TEAM WINS!"
The observation room exploded in applause and cheers. Ren found himself clapping with genuine enthusiasm, a wide smile on his face.
"They did it!" Ochako was jumping excitedly. "They really did it!"
"That coordination was perfect," Jiro admitted with approval. "Ashido san as a noisy distraction while Hagakure san infiltrated silently."
"It worked because both understood their roles," Momo analyzed professionally. "Ashido san trusted that Hagakure san was positioning herself correctly, even though she could not see her or communicate with her. And Hagakure san trusted that Ashido san would keep the enemy's attention. That is true teamwork."
Ren nodded, feeling genuinely proud. Toru had demonstrated exactly what he knew she was capable of: using her invisibility as a legitimate tactical tool.
All Might appeared on the screens, helping Sato clean the acid from his eyes while Recovery Girl treated the laser burn on Mina's shoulder.
"EXCELLENT WORK, YOUNG LADIES!" the amplified voice of the number one hero resonated. "YOU DEMONSTRATED SUPERIOR COORDINATION AND TACTICAL THINKING!"
The girls returned to the observation room several minutes later, both smiling widely despite their minor injuries. Mina practically bounced with post battle energy.
"Did you see that!?" she exclaimed excitedly. "Did you see how I surfed my own acid!? It was so cool!"
"It was incredible!" Ochako hugged her. "And that moment where you broke through the ceiling! My heart almost stopped!"
Toru at Ren's side sounded excited.
"It worked. Our plan really worked."
"I told you," Ren smiled toward where her face would be. "You are terrifying when you use your Quirk correctly."
"Terrifying? Thank you... I think?"
"It is definitely a compliment."
Momo approached the victorious girls with a thoughtful expression.
"Your coordination was impressive, especially considering that you could not communicate verbally during most of the match. How did you manage to synchronize so effectively?"
Mina laughed.
"Instinct! Toru chan and I have been friends for a long time. I know how she thinks."
"And I knew that Mina chan would make the maximum noise possible," Toru added with audible amusement in her voice. "It is her specialty."
"Hey!" Mina protested without real anger. "Strategic noise is valid!"
The observation room gradually filled with animated conversations while the students discussed the battle and compared tactical notes. Ren found himself surrounded by excited classmates, all wanting to talk about the day's matches and the ones still to come.
*****
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