Morning sunlight poured through the tall windows of the principal's office at U.A. High School.
Stacks of papers covered the desk.
But Nezu wasn't looking at those.
He was staring at his computer screen.
And smiling.
Across from him, Shota Aizawa leaned against the wall with his arms crossed.
"You said you found something," Aizawa said.
Nezu tapped the keyboard again.
"Oh, I did."
Another window opened on the monitor. A long list of government archive results appeared.
Most of them were classified.
Aizawa stepped closer.
"What am I looking at?"
Nezu adjusted his tie slightly.
"A name search."
"For Ren?"
"Yes… and no."
Nezu turned the monitor toward him.
The search bar read:
CALDEN PROJECT
Aizawa's eyes narrowed immediately.
"…Calden."
Nezu nodded.
"The name Ren gave during his interview. Ren Unknown-Calden. Stated but not confirmed."
Aizawa stared at the screen.
"You searched the name."
"Of course."
"And?"
Nezu's smile faded slightly.
"There are no people named Calden in the national records connected to Ren."
A pause.
"But…"
A new document appeared.
It was heavily redacted.
Most of the page was blacked out.
But the visible title read:
PROJECT CALDEN — QUIRK DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM
Aizawa's expression hardened.
"…Development."
Nezu continued scrolling.
"Most of the information is sealed by a very high government clearance. Even higher than the standard hero commission archives."
"Meaning?"
Nezu looked up at him.
"Meaning someone really doesn't want this project discussed."
Another line appeared in the document.
Subject Stability: Failed
Multiple Quirk Integration: Unstable
Further Testing Required
Aizawa's eyes sharpened.
"…Multiple quirks."
Nezu nodded slowly.
"And the last recorded entry."
He clicked the final line.
The timestamp appeared.
Seventeen years ago.
The same year Ren would have been born.
Aizawa leaned closer.
"What does it say?"
Nezu read the visible portion aloud.
"Subject transported to medical facility for emergency containment."
The next line was partially deleted.
But one phrase remained.
Child survival probability: Unknown
The room went quiet.
Aizawa spoke first.
"…A hospital."
Nezu nodded.
"The same hospital where Ren was found."
Aizawa rubbed the bridge of his nose.
"So either Ren is connected to this project…"
"Or," Nezu said calmly,
"…he is the project."
Silence filled the office again.
Then Nezu closed the file.
"For now, we keep observing."
Aizawa turned toward the door.
"…I was already planning that."
As he left the office, Nezu glanced back at the computer screen one last time.
The file flickered slightly.
And another hidden line briefly appeared before the window closed.
Subject Name: R—
The rest of the name was corrupted.
But one word remained visible.
Calden.
Meanwhile, in the dorms…
Ren laughed loudly as Denki almost dropped a plate of food.
Kirishima cheered.
Kaito just shook his head.
Completely unaware that somewhere deep in a classified file…
His name had already been written.
Years ago.