The aftermath of the U.S.J. attack left the air thick with tension.
The students of Class 1-A had been shaken to their core.
For the first time, they had come face-to-face with true villains—killers, monsters, and chaos incarnate.
And yet…
One of them had stood unshaken.
One of them had smiled in the face of it all.
One of them had fought like a predator among prey.
Reiji Kurobane.
The bus ride back to U.A. was silent.
The students sat in deep thought, the weight of their near-death experience still sinking in.
Reiji, however, simply stared out the window, golden eyes reflecting the city lights.
He could feel their gazes.
They weren't just watching him.
They were analyzing him.
He smirked slightly. They're finally starting to understand.
Kirishima, sitting nearby, finally spoke.
"Dude… you went all out back there."
His voice broke the silence, making several students glance in their direction.
Reiji turned his head slightly. "And?"
Kirishima hesitated. "I mean… we all fought, but you—"
"He didn't fight like a hero."
The voice came from Todoroki, his heterochromatic eyes cold and calculating.
The entire bus went dead silent.
Reiji's smirk didn't fade. "Oh?"
Todoroki stared at him. "You fight like someone used to killing. You burned that Nomu alive without hesitation."
Reiji leaned back in his seat, arms crossed. "And what would you have done?"
Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "Heroes don't kill."
Reiji chuckled. "No, they just let the bad guys live so they can kill more people later."
The weight of his words hung in the air.
Todoroki didn't respond immediately, but the tension between them grew.
Deku finally spoke, his voice quieter. "That's not… how a hero should think."
Reiji glanced at him. Deku's fists were clenched.
His eyes were filled with conflicted emotions.
Reiji sighed, shaking his head. "You're all so naive."
Bakugo, who had been silent this whole time, finally snapped.
"Tch. What the hell are you all getting worked up about?"
The class turned toward him.
Bakugo scoffed, glaring at Reiji. "Yeah, he fights like a damn psycho, but guess what? He won. He kicked that monster's ass while the rest of us were running around like idiots."
His voice was laced with frustration.
And beneath that frustration… was resentment.
Because Reiji had stolen the spotlight.
Because it should have been him.
Reiji smirked. "See? Explosion Boy gets it."
Bakugo growled. "Shut the hell up."
The class remained uneasy, but no one spoke further.
Some were grateful Reiji had been there.
Some were terrified of him.
And some were starting to wonder—
What kind of hero was he really?
The next day, U.A. was in a state of lockdown.
The attack on U.S.J. had thrown the school into chaos.
Security was heightened. News outlets swarmed the gates. The League of Villains had made their move… and the world took notice.
Inside U.A., the staff held an emergency meeting.
All Might sat at the table, arms crossed, his usual bright smile nowhere to be seen.
Aizawa, still bandaged from his injuries, leaned back in his chair. "We got lucky. If they had planned better, more students would be dead."
Nezu nodded solemnly. "The villains were unprepared. But next time… they won't be."
The room fell into silence.
Finally, All Might spoke.
"There's one more thing we need to discuss."
He turned his gaze toward Aizawa.
"The boy… Kurobane Reiji."
Aizawa sighed. "I figured this would come up."
All Might's expression was serious. "You saw what he did. You saw how he fought."
Aizawa nodded. "Yeah. And I don't like it."
"His strength is undeniable," Nezu admitted. "But his methods…"
Midnight leaned forward, resting her chin on her hands. "He fights like someone who's been through real war. Where did he even learn to kill like that?"
No one had an answer.
But they all knew one thing for certain.
Reiji Kurobane was dangerous.
The question was—which side of the line would he stand on?
Meanwhile, Reiji walked through the halls of U.A., feeling the shift in the air.
The way students looked at him.
The way teachers watched him longer than before.
The attack on U.S.J. hadn't just changed the school.
It had changed how they saw him.
And that… was interesting.
As he walked toward his locker, he suddenly felt a presence.
He turned his head slightly.
Todoroki stood a few feet away, arms crossed, gaze cold.
Reiji smirked. "Something on your mind, Ice Prince?"
Todoroki didn't react to the nickname.
Instead, he spoke bluntly.
"You're hiding something."
Reiji arched an eyebrow. "Am I?"
Todoroki narrowed his eyes. "I don't know what it is yet. But you're not like the rest of us. And I'll figure out why."
Reiji chuckled. "You're welcome to try."
Todoroki held his gaze for a moment longer before walking away.
Reiji exhaled, his smirk fading slightly.
The eyes on him weren't just filled with fear anymore.
Some of them were filled with suspicion.
Todoroki was watching him. The teachers were watching him.
He was becoming a wildcard.
And he loved it.
Let them watch. Let them wonder.
Because when the time came…
They would see exactly what he was capable of.
End of Chapter 10.
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