I was still sitting on the ground.
Still recovering.
Still… processing.
"…Okay," I muttered, rubbing my face. "I'm good now. I think."
"…You think?" Denki said, raising an eyebrow.
I looked up.
Kaito.
Midoriya.
Kirishima.
Mina.
Even Bakugo standing a little off to the side, arms crossed, clearly listening even if he wouldn't admit it.
All of them staring at me.
Waiting.
"…You're gonna explain," Kaito said.
"…Yeah," Mina added, leaning forward. "Because you left like a boss and came back like your brain got unplugged."
Denki nodded rapidly.
"Seriously—what happened?!"
I froze.
"…Okay."
Deep breath.
"…So I found her."
Immediate reactions.
"YOU WHAT?!" – Denki"You went ALONE?!" – Midoriya"DUDE—" – Kirishima
"Yeah yeah, I know," I cut in quickly. "Not the point—listen."
They quieted down.
Barely.
The Fight (Explained… Kinda)
"…She was already there," I started. "Waiting. Still looking like me."
Midoriya scribbled instantly.
"Of course she was…"
I continued.
"…We fought. She was using some of my spatial stuff—badly—but still enough to be annoying."
Bakugo scoffed.
"Tch. Figures she'd mess it up."
"…Yeah," I said. "But she was adapting. Fast."
Kaito frowned slightly.
"…That's not good."
"Nope," I agreed.
I leaned back on my hands.
"…But I was faster. Cleaner. I had control."
Kirishima grinned.
"That's what I'm talking about!"
"…So I beat her," I said simply.
Silence.
Denki blinked.
"…Wait… that's it?"
"…No," I said.
The Awkward Part Begins
I rubbed the back of my neck.
"…Her disguise started… glitching."
Midoriya paused his writing.
"…Glitching?"
"Yeah," I said. "Like breaking apart. She didn't have enough blood to hold it."
Mina tilted her head.
"…Oh…"
Kaito's eyes narrowed slightly.
"…Oh."
Denki blinked again.
"…Oh?"
I sighed.
"…Yeah. Oh."
Trying to Say It Normally (Failing)
"…So I'm fighting, right? Focused, locked in, about to finish it—"
I gestured vaguely.
"…and then it starts… falling apart."
Midoriya nodded slowly.
"…The transformation limit…"
"Exactly," I said. "And I'm thinking—'okay, just end it before it fully—'"
I stopped.
Everyone leaned in.
"…Before it fully what?" Denki asked.
I stared at them.
Blank.
Then covered my face again.
"…You know what."
Silence.
Mina's eyes widened.
"…OH."
Kirishima's face went red instantly.
"…OH."
Denki froze.
"…OH."
Bakugo snorted.
"Wow. You actually short-circuited over that?"
"SHUT UP," I snapped instantly.
The Truth Comes Out
I dropped my hands, glaring at all of them.
"…My brain just—stopped working, okay?!"
Denki pointed dramatically.
"YOU CRASHED!"
"I DID NOT CRASH—"
"YOU BUFFERED!" Mina added.
"I DIDN'T BUFFER—"
Kaito cut in, trying (and failing) to stay serious.
"…You panicked."
"I DIDN'T PANIC—"
"You ran," Bakugo said bluntly.
"…I made a tactical retreat."
Midoriya raised a finger.
"…To be fair, that is a valid response in unexpected—"
"THANK YOU," I said quickly.
"…—psychological overload situations," he finished.
"…I hate all of you."
Back to Serious
The laughter died down after a moment.
Kaito crossed his arms again.
"…Jokes aside."
I looked at him.
"…Yeah."
"…She's getting better, isn't she?" he asked.
I nodded slowly.
"…Yeah."
Midoriya spoke next, more focused now.
"…She was already starting to use your spatial distortion…"
"…Barely," I said. "But yeah. It's there."
Mina frowned.
"…So next time…"
I finished the thought.
"…She'll be stronger."
Silence settled again.
Heavier this time.
Ren's Realization
I looked down at my hands.
"…And she's not afraid to use it."
I flexed my fingers slightly.
Space flickered faintly.
"…I hesitated."
Kaito shook his head.
"…You adapted."
"…Not fast enough," I said.
Midoriya stepped forward.
"…Then we train more."
I looked up.
"…Yeah."
Final Moment
Denki stretched.
"Well, at least you won."
"…Technically," I said.
Bakugo smirked.
"Tch. Next time, don't run."
I rolled my eyes.
"…Next time, I'm finishing it faster."
Mina smiled slightly.
"…Just maybe… without the brain crash?"
"…No promises."
Everyone laughed lightly.
But deep down—
I knew something.
Next time…
There wouldn't be distractions.
No hesitation.
No mistakes.
Because if I didn't end it—
She would.
And I wasn't going to let that happen.