The air in the hospital wing was colder than usual.
Reiji stood near the wide window, his eyes drifting across the city skyline. The glow of late afternoon sun reflected in the glass, soft but distant. He hadn't spoken for a while. Not since the League's ambush. Not since Overhaul's arms were taken. He thought it would bring him a sense of closure—but all he felt was quiet.
Behind him, machines beeped steadily. Midoriya, sitting upright in bed, was still recovering. His arms were bandaged, and his breathing was slow but stable. He spoke with Aizawa in hushed tones, their conversation broken by long pauses. Eri remained curled beside him, breathing lightly, her horn safely sealed beneath a monitoring device.
[System: Passive Sync – Combat Recovery Boost Applied. Fatigue level reduced by 8%.]
Reiji blinked the message away, his eyes still fixed on the horizon. He didn't want to think about recovery. He didn't want to think about upgrades. Not now. Not after seeing what real power—what real loss—looked like.
He wanted to understand what came next.
"You've been quiet," Aizawa said from behind him. His voice was calm, but sharp enough to cut through Reiji's thoughts.
Reiji shrugged. "Just watching. Just... learning."
Aizawa looked like he understood more than he let on. "We're not done yet. The world doesn't stop just because one enemy fell."
There was a quiet chime as Aizawa's phone buzzed. He pulled it out, brows knitting slightly as he read the notification. Then he turned to Reiji with a more serious look.
"Come with me. Nighteye wants to speak with you."
—
The conference room at the agency felt sterile and too bright. The hum of overhead lights buzzed faintly, adding to the unease. Bubble Girl stood at the side of the room and gave them a polite nod as they entered. Sir Nighteye stood beside a whiteboard covered in diagrams, red-threaded photos, and marked surveillance zones.
"We've mapped out every known League sighting in the last two months," Nighteye said, gesturing to the board. "Their boldness isn't random. They're testing our systems. Exploiting our delays."
Reiji stepped closer to the board, examining the interconnected threads. Every line represented a point of weakness—a time when they were a step too slow.
"You knew they'd come for Overhaul?" he asked, eyes locked on a pinpoint marked with the ambush location.
Nighteye's jaw tightened. "We suspected. But there wasn't enough time. That's the point, Reiji. We are constantly reacting. Barely ahead of the next fire."
Reiji's hands curled into fists. He hated that feeling. The helplessness. The waiting.
[System Notification: Upgrade Available – Predictive Combat Modeling v0.1 Beta]
He let the notification hover. He didn't accept it. Not yet. Not until he was ready to earn it.
"So what's next?" he asked quietly.
"You train. You prepare," Nighteye replied. "Because if this system fails, it won't just be the League coming through the cracks."
Reiji nodded, the frustration in his chest folding into a sharper resolve. "I'm done waiting for the next blow. I want to be the one landing it."
—
Later that evening, Reiji sat in the hallway outside Eri's room. He could see her resting peacefully through the window, curled up beneath a blanket. Her small frame rose and fell with each gentle breath.
The flickering TV on the wall played the evening news. Reiji barely listened until the screen showed clips of the raid aftermath.
"...as heroes recover from the Shie Hassaikai raid, the public remains split on the rise of student involvement in major operations. Many citizens praise the bravery, while others question the growing pressure on minors..."
Hawks appeared briefly, sitting casually in a press interview.
"There's a shift happening. New threats in motion. Heroes need to adapt."
Reiji muted the screen.
He could feel it too. The tremor underneath it all. The League wasn't the end—they were just the storm's edge. What was coming next wouldn't wait for them to catch up.
[System Remark: Readiness threshold below required margin. Training recommended.]
He leaned back against the wall, eyes closed.
"I know," he whispered.
—
The next morning, the light had barely changed, but everything felt heavier. Aizawa stood beside him at the hospital entrance, holding a sealed document.
"From the Hero Public Safety Commission," he said. "They've selected you for early evaluation."
Reiji took the envelope slowly, weighing it in his hands.
"Me?"
"It's not an offer. It's a test," Aizawa replied. "If you pass, they'll involve you in classified operations. Covert. Sometimes cross-agency."
Reiji nodded once. "I'll go."
Aizawa looked at him carefully. "You're sure? This won't be the same as UA. They'll monitor everything. Every move. You'll be seen as more than a student."
Reiji gave a faint, cold smile. "I've never just been a student."
—
As Reiji stepped into the Hero Public Safety Commission building, everything gleamed under fluorescent lighting. The floors were spotless. The air was cold and efficient.
Security gates beeped softly as he passed through them. Guards in formal uniforms nodded but didn't smile. He felt the weight of every camera above him.
A corridor led him to the main evaluation chamber. The double doors ahead were steel-gray, polished, and thick. He reached for the handle.
Inside a distant monitoring room, one of the security feeds flickered.
A figure sat before it—face obscured in shadow. A long, pale finger tapped a control panel beside the screen.
"Target Candidate: Synchronization rate accelerating."
Another terminal beeped silently.
"Observe closely."
End of Chapter 65
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