Chương 18: The Wrong Kind of Civilian

The door opened inward. Ren Akiyama saw the first villain before the villain saw all of them. That mattered. The man entered low and fast, shoulders hunched beneath a patched leather jacket, one hand raised near his face as if expecting an attack. His other hand held a metal baton with a cracked rubber grip. He had a shaved head, thick lips, and a nervous smile that looked less like confidence than hunger trying to imitate it. Behind him came another. Taller. Thin. Pale hair tied back.

A row of small metal studs ran along his left eyebrow. His fingers were too long, each joint slightly bent, nails blackened and sharp. A Quirk? Mutation? Cosmetic? Unknown. He carried no visible weapon. Two villains. Doorway choke point. Group behind Ren. Kenta to the right. Nana and Reina behind the equipment cabinet. Fujimura against the wall, face pale after two flashes. Tamura above and slightly left, shoes stuck to the wall, arms trembling from holding himself in position. Missing girl rescued. Panic high.

Coordination fragile. Ren held the maintenance rod low. Not raised. Raised weapons invited focus. Low tools remained ambiguous for one more second. The first villain looked at Ren and grinned.

"Well, look at that. They left us a hallway monitor" Ren did not answer. The man's grin faltered slightly. Good. He wanted reaction. Maybe not Quirk-related. Maybe ego. Both exploitable. The tall one behind him tilted his head, eyes moving over the students hiding behind Ren.

"Kids" His voice was soft. Worse.

"Boss said leverage if they're easy" Kenta shifted behind Ren. The first villain pointed the baton at him.

"Big one wants to try something?" Ren spoke without looking back.

"No" Kenta stopped. The first villain laughed.

"Oh, this one gives orders" Ren kept his gaze on the baton hand. Right-handed. Weight forward. Too excited. Likely untrained or badly trained. Second villain calmer. Larger threat. Doorway width allowed one and a half bodies. If first advanced, second delayed. If second had reach Quirk, distance insufficient. Need leave before deeper engagement. Objective: create obstruction and escape down right passage. Not defeat. Survive clearly. The first villain stepped forward. Ren stepped back. The villain grinned wider.

"That's right" Ren stepped back again. One meter. Two. The villain entered fully. Too far from the door now. Kenta understood half a second before Ren gave the signal. Good. Ren said "Now" Fujimura clapped his hands. White light burst through the service alcove. Ren turned his face before it bloomed fully, eyes narrowed against the pain. The first villain cursed and swung blind. The baton struck the wall where Ren's head had been. Kenta drove forward from the right. Not at the first villain's chest.

At his shoulder. The shove slammed the man sideways into the doorframe, and Tamura dropped from the wall with a panicked yell, both sticky shoes catching the villain's jacket and pulling him off balance from above. It was not graceful. It worked. The first villain hit the ground tangled in Tamura's legs. Tamura shouted "I'm stuck!" Ren had no time to appreciate the irony. The second villain moved through the fading light without flinching. Not blinded. Protective membrane? Light resistance?

He had closed his eyes in time? Unknown. His long fingers snapped outward. They stretched. Not much. Enough. Each finger extended like a jointed cable, reaching past the fallen man toward Nana and Reina behind the cabinet. Nana screamed. Ren threw the maintenance rod. Not at the second villain's head. At the reaching fingers. The rod struck three of them mid-extension. The fingers bent backward in ways that would have broken ordinary bones. The villain hissed, more annoyed than injured. Elastic structure.

Ren moved before the fingers recovered. He kicked the fallen first villain's baton away, grabbed Tamura by the back of his blazer, and pulled. Tamura's shoes stayed stuck to the villain's jacket.

"My feet!"

"Release""I'm trying!" The first villain snarled and grabbed Tamura's ankle. Ren stamped down on the man's wrist. The grip loosened. Kenta grabbed Tamura under both arms and yanked. The sticky shoes released with a tearing sound and left pieces of the villain's jacket attached to their soles. Tamura stumbled upright.

"Run" Ren said This time nobody asked where. They moved down the right passage. The second villain's fingers lashed out again. One wrapped around the equipment cabinet and pulled. The cabinet scraped across the floor, slamming into the passage wall behind Nana. She fell forward. Reina caught her sleeve and kept moving. Ren lagged half a step behind the group. Bad. Necessary. The first villain was getting up. The second had reach.

Ren grabbed the maintenance rod from the floor as he passed, felt his palm flare with pain, and hooked the rod through the extended fingers pulling the cabinet. He twisted with both hands, not trying to overpower the Quirk, only tangling the fingers around the metal. The villain's eyes widened. Ren shoved the rod through the cabinet handle and released. The long fingers snapped tight around rod and handle together. The villain cursed. The cabinet anchored him for one second. One second was enough. Ren ran.

The group reached the first corner and turned left into a darker passage. Emergency strips flickered along the floor. Somewhere overhead, a speaker popped once and died. Behind them, metal shrieked as the cabinet tore free or broke. Not long. Ren looked at the group.

"Kenta. Rear. Tamura, front. Nana and Reina center. Fujimura, eyes down unless told. No flashes in narrow passage unless we close eyes first" Fujimura nodded too fast. Blood still ran from his nose. Overuse risk. Ren pointed at him.

"No more unless necessary" Fujimura swallowed.

"Okay" Tamura looked down the passage.

"I don't know where we're going""Neither do they""That doesn't help""It helps enough" They moved. The maintenance passage angled downward, then split again. Ren chose the branch with airflow because airflow meant ventilation or exit. His memory of USJ did not include service corridors. That meant he was not navigating a known future anymore. The thought should have frightened him more. It almost comforted him. Unknown terrain at least admitted it was unknown. A heavy crash echoed behind them. Kenta looked back.

"They're coming""Speed?"

"Fast" Ren looked ahead. The passage opened into a storage room. Good. Bad. Storage meant tools. Storage meant corners. They entered. The room held stacked foam barriers, maintenance crates, coiled hoses, spare signage, folded stretcher frames, cleaning supplies, and two emergency lockers. No exterior exit. One door opposite. One ladder to a ceiling hatch. The opposite door had a red light above it. Locked or alarmed. Ren crossed to it and tried the handle. Locked. Of course.

Kenta shoved crates against the door they had entered.

"Won't hold long""Not meant to" Ren opened the first emergency locker. Empty harnesses. Flashlights. Emergency blankets. Two helmets. No radio. Second locker. First aid kit. Crowbar. Good. He took the crowbar. Kenta stared.

"You know how to use that?"

"As a lever, yes. As a weapon, poorly""Comforting" Ren handed him the maintenance rod.

"Then you hold this" Kenta accepted it. Nana grabbed one of the helmets with shaking hands. Find this and other great novels on the author's preferred platform. Support original creators!

"Should we wear these?"

"Yes. You and Reina. Fujimura, sit for three seconds and pinch your nose. Tamura, ladder. Check hatch" Tamura looked upward.

"You want me to climb?"

"You have sticky feet""I also have fear""Bring it with you" Tamura stared. Then climbed. The door behind them shook as something struck the barricade. Kenta braced the maintenance rod across two crates.

"Not holding""Delay is success" Ren moved to the locked opposite door and wedged the crowbar near the latch. Pain flared through his palm immediately. Wrong grip. He shifted to the heel of his hand, braced with his shoulder, and pulled. Nothing. He adjusted angle. The latch groaned. Behind them, the crate stack jumped. The first villain's voice came through the door.

"You little brats think you're heroes?" Ren ignored it. Kenta said "Technically no" Ren almost told him not to answer. Then realized Kenta had answered quietly enough the villain probably had not heard. The latch groaned again. Too slow. Tamura reached the ceiling hatch and pushed.

"It opens!"

"Where?" He lifted his head through.

"Duct space? Or maintenance crawl. It's narrow""How narrow?"

"Ren narrow. Not Kenta narrow" Kenta made an offended sound. The crate barricade shifted again. The tall villain's fingers slid through a gap near the door, black nails scraping along the top crate. Nana whimpered. Ren looked at the locked door. Then at the hatch. Two routes. Door unknown and too slow. Hatch narrow but open. Kenta too large? Maybe if forced, maybe not. Reina and Nana possible. Fujimura possible. Ren possible. Tamura already up. Kenta problem. Do not split unless necessary.

The fingers curled around a crate and pulled. The barricade lurched. Kenta shoved back with the rod.

"Decision" Ren hated him for being right.

"Hatch for Nana, Reina, Fujimura first. Tamura pulls. Kenta and I hold. Then me. Then you if fit" Kenta's face changed.

"If fit?"

"You may fit""That means I may not""Yes""No" Ren looked at him.

"This is not""No" Kenta said again His voice shook now, not from fear only.

"You are not doing the thing where you make the plan and leave yourself as the part that gets crushed" Ren stared. Nana looked at him too. So did Reina. Fujimura with his bloody nose. Tamura from the hatch. A terrible moment. Too much attention. Too much recognition. Recovery Girl's voice again. Do not make yourself easy to spend. Ren swallowed.

"Then propose alternative" Kenta's grip tightened on the rod.

"I break the door""Can you?"

"Maybe""Cost?"

"My shoulder. Maybe the door""Try once. If fail, hatch" Kenta nodded. They shifted. Ren took the rod at the barricade. Kenta moved to the locked door, rolled one shoulder, and pulled in a breath that made his large hands flex. He had not stated his Quirk in class, but Ren had guessed grip enhancement and upper-body reinforcement, maybe temporary. Sano had similar hand strength, but Kenta was different. His forearms thickened slightly under the uniform sleeves. Not enough to be dramatic. Enough to matter.

Kenta slammed into the door shoulder-first. The sound filled the room. The red light flickered. The door held. Kenta staggered back with a curse.

"Again?" Ren asked Kenta's face twisted.

"Yes" The barricade behind them broke. The first villain crashed through half the crates. Ren jammed the rod into the gap and shoved with everything he had. The villain's baton struck the rod and sent vibration through Ren's injured palm. Pain shot up his arm into the shallow cut. His old burn scar flared hot beneath the sleeve. He held. Kenta hit the locked door again. This time the latch snapped. The door flew open. Beyond it, a narrow utility stairwell descended toward a lower service level. Open route.

Possible trap. Still route.

"Go" Ren said Nana and Reina moved first, supporting each other. Fujimura followed. Tamura dropped from the hatch halfway, landed badly, cursed, and ran after them. Kenta grabbed Ren's shoulder and pulled him back just as the first villain's baton swung through the broken barricade. The baton clipped Ren's chest instead of his jaw. Air left him. Pain burst across ribs still not fully recovered from the entrance exam. For a second, the room narrowed. Old injury. New impact. Bad. Ren staggered.

Kenta shoved him through the door.

"Move!" Ren moved because someone else had given the correct instruction. That was new. Useful. They ran down the stairs. The door above slammed against the wall as the villains broke through fully. The tall one laughed.

"Run then!" The stairwell was too narrow for group speed. Kenta stayed behind Ren now, using his body as a moving wall. His breathing sounded ragged. The others were below, visible through gaps in the railing. Ren's ribs protested each step. The baton hit had not broken them. Probably. Maybe. Pain sharpened with breathing but not catastrophic. Existing injury sensitized. Continue. Halfway down, the tall villain's fingers stretched over the railing from above, snaking downward toward Kenta's neck.

Ren saw their shadow.

"Kenta. Down" Kenta dropped. The fingers whipped through empty air. Ren grabbed one with both hands and pulled it across the metal railing. The villain hissed above. Elastic did not mean painless. Ren wrapped the finger once around the rail and shoved the crowbar through the loop. The finger snapped tight. The tall villain screamed. Kenta stared.

"That is disgusting""Yes""Effective""Move" They reached the lower level. The door at the bottom opened into a broad underground service corridor running beneath several USJ zones. Pipes lined the ceiling. Emergency lights pulsed dimly. The floor sloped slightly toward drainage grates. A map behind glass showed maintenance routes, but half the lights on the board were dark. Ren stopped only long enough to read. Central systems. Medical access. External service exit. Staff shelter.

The external service exit was two corridors away. Good. Then the ground shook hard enough to make the lights flicker. A roar rolled through the facility. Not human. Not machine. Something deeper. Ren froze. Nomu. The name struck without consent. No. Not yet. Maybe not visible. Maybe central. Maybe memory filling gaps. Kenta grabbed his arm.

"Ren" Ren inhaled. His body did not want to. He forced it.

"External service exit" They turned. A figure stood at the far end of the corridor. Not one of the two chasing them. A different villain. Broad body. Mask over lower face. Heavy gloves. A U. A. staff jacket draped over one shoulder like a trophy. Okamoto's jacket. Fujimura made a broken sound.

"That's the one from the west corridor" The villain rolled his neck.

"There you are" No route past. Behind them, footsteps from the stairwell. Two villains above. One ahead. Group trapped in corridor. Ren's body went quiet again. Too quiet. He heard his own pulse. Kenta's breathing. Nana crying under her breath. Tamura whispering "No no no" Fujimura's nose still dripping blood. Reina's teeth chattering. The broad villain raised one hand. His glove expanded. Not glove. Hand. Inflating knuckles? Bone growth? Impact Quirk. He smiled behind the mask.

"General Studies, right? Easy" Easy. The word moved through the group like poison. Ren felt something inside him align. Not anger. Not exactly. Refusal. They were not empty space. They were not leverage. They were not easy. But proving that by charging would get them hurt. So he did the wrong kind of civilian thing. He lifted both hands. Kenta stared. The broad villain laughed.

"Smart" Ren kept his voice small.

"Please don't hurt us" Nana looked at him. Understanding flickered. Then horror. Then she lowered her head and started crying louder. Good. Reina followed instinctively, clutching her helmet. Fujimura hunched. Tamura stayed low. Kenta was the problem. Too angry. Too big. Too ready to resist. Ren stepped half in front of him.

"Please" Ren said again The broad villain walked closer. Behind them, the other two reached the bottom of the stairs. The first villain with the baton was breathing hard.

"This brat's a pain" The tall one cradled one elongated finger against his chest, eyes full of hatred.

"Break his hands" The broad villain looked at Ren's raised hands.

"Those?" Ren lowered his gaze.

"Yes" The broad villain laughed. One step closer. Two. Distance four meters. Three. Too close. Ren spoke without looking up.

"Kenta" Kenta's voice was tight.

"What?"

"Now" Kenta grabbed the fire extinguisher from the wall beside him and threw it with both hands. Not at the broad villain. At the ceiling pipe above him. The extinguisher struck the pipe hard enough to crack a valve. Pressurized water burst downward in a violent spray. The broad villain flinched and raised both oversized hands to his face. Ren moved. So did everyone else. Fujimura flashed. The water turned the light into a white explosion. The broad villain shouted.

Tamura ran up the wall and across three steps of ceiling before dropping behind the villain, sticky shoes smacking down hard against the wet floor. He slipped instantly. Bad. Still useful. The broad villain turned toward the sound, blind and soaked. Kenta charged low and slammed both hands into the villain's side. The man staggered but did not fall. Too heavy. Ren grabbed the staff jacket from his shoulder and yanked it down over the villain's head. The broad villain swung blindly.

A fist clipped Ren's left shoulder. The impact spun him into the wall. Pain flashed from shoulder to ribs to neck. His knees almost went. Not now. The old burn scar burned hotter, as if the body had mistaken impact for fire and warning for fuel. Ren tasted blood where his teeth cut his lip. He stayed upright. Kenta hit the villain again, this time with Nana helping by driving a maintenance bucket under the man's foot at the worst possible moment. The villain slipped on the wet floor and crashed to one knee.

Reina grabbed Fujimura's sleeve and pulled him past. Tamura scrambled up. Ren pointed down the side corridor.

"Run" They ran past the kneeling villain. The first villain from behind lunged with his baton. Shinso's voice came from the far corridor.

"Hey" Everyone froze for the wrong half second. The baton villain turned.

"What?" His body went slack. Ren's breath stopped. Shinso stood at the corner ahead of them, hands in his pockets, face pale but eyes focused like blades. The baton villain stood perfectly still. Brainwashed. In real combat. Not theory. Not Sports Festival. Now. The tall villain looked from his partner to Shinso.

"What did you" Shinso's eyes moved to him.

"You want to ask that again?" The tall villain clamped his mouth shut. Good. He knew enough now. Shinso clicked his tongue.

"Annoying" Behind Shinso stood three more General Studies students and Arai Natsumi from 1-C, one sleeve torn, horn tips vibrating faintly. Sano Eiji was with them too, one oversized hand pressed against a bleeding cut on his forehead, the other gripping a broken railing. Ren saw them in fragments. Central plaza group. Survivors. Shinso alive. Good. Not enough. The broad villain tore the jacket from his head and roared. Shinso pointed at the brainwashed baton villain.

"Hit him" The baton villain turned and slammed his weapon into the broad villain's knee. The crack was not bone. Probably. The broad villain howled and went down on one hand. Kenta whispered "Holy shit" Shinso's jaw tightened. The brainwashed villain swayed. Control strain? Emotional strain? Duration? Unknown. The tall long-fingered villain backed toward the stairwell, eyes never leaving Shinso.

"You freak" Shinso's face did not change. But Ren saw the hit land. Old wound. Wrong time. Ren picked up the fallen fire extinguisher with his good hand and threw it down the wet corridor. It struck the floor near the tall villain's feet, not hard enough to injure, but loud enough to make him jump back.

"Move instead of commenting" Ren said Shinso looked at him. Then at the tall villain. Then smirked.

"Yeah. You heard him" The tall villain ran. Good. Cowardice survived where ethics failed. The broad villain tried to rise. Sano moved. His enlarged hand slammed into the wall beside the villain's head, cracking tile.

"Stay down" The villain looked at the hand. Then at the brainwashed baton wielder still standing like a puppet. Then at Shinso. He stayed down. For three seconds. Maybe enough. Shinso released control. The baton villain blinked.

"What the" Sano punched him in the stomach. Not full force. Enough. The man folded and hit the floor. Kurose would have had comments about unauthorized violence. Ren decided to survive long enough to hear them. The group converged in the wet corridor. For one breath, no one spoke. Then Arai looked at Ren's bleeding forearm, cheek cut, shoulder held wrong, and expression too calm.

"You look terrible" Ren swallowed.

"You also look compromised""Was that concern?"

"Yes""Work on it" Shinso walked closer. His face remained bored to anyone who did not know how to read the tightness around his eyes.

"You found trouble""You brought some""Mine was uglier""Debatable" Kenta looked at Shinso.

"You can just make them obey?" Shinso's expression shut down. Ren answered first.

"Only under conditions. Do not rely on it without asking him" Kenta blinked. Shinso glanced at Ren. Sano snorted.

"Robots were still stupid" Shinso looked at him.

"You're weirdly consistent""Thanks?"

"Not praise""Still taking it" A distant impact shook the corridor. The lights flickered. A siren finally began overhead, weak and intermittent. Then the stolen radio on Ren's belt crackled. Static. A voice broke through. Kurose.

"Any student on this channel, respond. Identify location and status" Ren grabbed the radio. It nearly slipped from his wet, blood-slick hand. He pressed the button.

"Akiyama. Lower maintenance corridor beneath ruins and central transition zones. Multiple 1-C and General Studies students. Three villains temporarily incapacitated or delayed. One hostile retreated. At least one staff member down in west evacuation corridor. Communications unstable. Need evacuation route confirmation" A burst of static. Then Kurose's voice again, sharper.

"Akiyama. Number of students" Ren looked quickly. His original group: seven including him. Shinso's group: six plus Shinso and Sano. Arai. Total fourteen? No, count again. He counted faces.

"Fourteen students""Injuries?"

"Multiple minor. Fujimura Quirk overuse epistaxis. Arai laceration. Sano head laceration. Reina acute panic response. My left forearm laceration, facial laceration, rib and shoulder impact. No confirmed critical injuries in group" The radio went silent for one second. Then Kurose said "Of course you classified yourself last" Ren closed his eyes briefly. Shinso made a sound that could have been a laugh. Kurose continued "External service exit is compromised. Do not proceed there.

Move to staff shelter B if accessible. Do you see blue emergency markers?" Ren looked down the corridor. At the far end, half hidden by pipes, a blue light pulsed.

"Yes""Follow blue markers. Avoid central plaza. Do not engage. Repeat, do not engage. Staff response is active" The radio cut. Not enough. Enough. Ren looked at the group.

"Blue markers. Staff shelter B. We move now" Sano pointed at the villains on the floor.

"What about them?" Ren looked at Shinso. Shinso looked at the brainwashed man now curled on the floor, groaning.

"They stay" Kenta said "What if they follow?" Arai's horns vibrated.

"More footsteps from central direction" Ren looked at Shinso. Then Sano. Then Kenta. Then at the younger-looking students shaking in the corridor. He understood the shape immediately. Some could delay. Some needed to move. Kurose had said do not engage. Kurose was right. Kurose was not here. But Kurose had also given a route. The route mattered more than proving capability.

"We all move" Ren said Sano frowned.

"You sure?"

"No. We move anyway" That answer worked better than certainty. They moved. This time the group was larger, slower, more visible, and more alive. Ren and Shinso walked near the middle, not by agreement exactly, but because the group shaped itself around the two people giving instructions. Sano took rear. Kenta near rear-left. Arai near front with Tamura, using her vibration-sensitive horns to warn of footsteps and impacts before others heard them. Nana and Reina stayed close together.

Fujimura walked with his head tilted back, pinching his nose, eyes unfocused. Civilians. Not empty space. Not easy. Not safe. They followed the blue markers through the lower maintenance corridor while USJ shook above them. At one point, an impact came from overhead so strong that dust fell from the ceiling and several students crouched instinctively. Ren looked up. The roar came again. Deep. Heavy. Impossible. Shinso heard it too. His face tightened.

"What is that?" Ren kept walking.

"Something we avoid""You know""Yes""How bad?" Ren saw Aizawa's face in memory. Blood. Nomu's fist. The Symbol late.

"Too bad" Shinso stopped asking. Good. They reached a junction where the blue markers split around a sealed equipment bay. Arai held up one hand.

"Movement left. Heavy. Two sets. Maybe more" Ren gestured right. The group turned. A voice shouted from the left.

"Hey! Students!" Not Kurose. Not Aizawa. Not Thirteen. Not staff Ren recognized. No one answered. Good. The voice grew angry.

"I said stop!" Sano looked back. Ren shook his head. They kept moving. A dark shape entered the junction behind them. Sano picked up a metal sign from the wall bracket as he walked. Ren said "Delay only if they close distance" Sano nodded.

"Delay only" Progress. Then the blue markers ended at a heavy door marked STAFF SHELTER B. Closed. Ren pressed the emergency panel. The light turned yellow. A mechanical voice spoke.

"Shelter access restricted. Staff authorization required" The group stared. Kenta said "You have got to be kidding" Ren looked at the panel. Keypad. Card reader. Emergency override behind locked cover. No staff card. Maybe Okamoto's jacket? No. Kurose had sent them here. Did she assume staff access? Did system fail? Could be lockdown. The footsteps behind them grew louder. Shinso stepped closer.

"Can you open it?"

"Maybe""How long?"

"Too long" Sano raised the metal sign.

"Then we hold""No" Ren looked at the wall. Emergency override cover. Locked. He raised the crowbar. His palm screamed before he even set it under the cover. Shinso saw.

"Give me that""No""Your hand is bleeding""Less relevant than door" Shinso grabbed the crowbar anyway. Ren almost pulled back. Then stopped. Restraint can be a completed action. He let go. Shinso wedged the crowbar under the cover and pulled. Nothing. Sano joined him with one oversized hand. The cover snapped off. Ren reached into the panel and pulled the manual override. The door unlocked with a heavy sound. The group exhaled. Then the villain behind them rounded the corner. Only one. Fast. Knife in hand.

Arai shouted "Behind!" Sano moved to intercept. Ren stepped between the door and the group.

"Inside" Students poured through. Nana. Reina. Fujimura. Tamura. Kenta shoved two others in. Arai hesitated. Shinso stayed. Of course. Sano blocked the knife strike with the metal sign. The blade pierced the sign and stuck. The villain snarled and kicked him in the knee. Sano buckled. Shinso said "Nice knife" The villain snapped "Shut up" His body froze. Shinso's face went pale with effort. Ren grabbed Sano's sleeve and pulled him backward.

"Arai, inside" She went. Kenta reappeared in the doorway. Ren glared. Kenta said "Don't start" Together they dragged Sano through. Shinso walked backward last, eyes fixed on the brainwashed villain. The moment he crossed the threshold, Ren hit the close button. The door began sliding shut. Too slow. Shinso released control. The villain blinked, saw the door closing, and lunged. Ren shoved Shinso backward. The knife came through the gap.

Ren caught the attacker's wrist with both hands and slammed it against the doorframe. Pain detonated through his cut forearm. The knife clattered inside the shelter. The villain screamed. The door slammed shut on the outside of his arm. Not fully. Emergency resistance stopped it from crushing. Bad. The door began to reopen automatically. Sano cursed. Kenta grabbed the wrist too. Shinso picked up the knife and threw it deeper into the shelter. Ren hit the manual emergency close again, then the lock override.

The door forced shut. The villain yanked his arm free at the last second, skin scraping against the frame. The seal engaged. Locked. For three seconds, no one moved. Then a fist hit the outside. The door held. Another hit. Held. A third. Held. The staff shelter lights brightened automatically. White. Clean. Too bright. Too quiet. Fourteen students stood inside a room designed for emergencies none of them had believed they would meet this young.

There were benches, water packs, trauma kits, emergency blankets, wall screens, sealed communication panels, and a red phone behind glass. Ren looked at the phone. Then at Shinso. Then at Sano's knee. Fujimura's nose. Arai's arm. Nana's shaking hands. Reina's tear-streaked face. Kenta's clenched jaw. His own blood on the floor. They had reached shelter. Not victory. Shelter. Ren walked to the red phone and lifted it. A tone sounded. Then static. Then a click. A voice answered. Not Kurose. Nezu. Calm. Bright.

Terrible.

"Staff Shelter B. Identify yourself" Ren swallowed.

"Akiyama Ren. General Studies 1-C. Fourteen students sheltered. Multiple minor injuries. No confirmed critical injuries. Hostiles outside door. Request medical response and extraction when secure" A pause. Very small. Very real. Then Nezu said "Understood, Akiyama. Remain sheltered. Do not open the door for anyone unless identity is confirmed through this line or by faculty code. Can you continue providing status updates?" Ren looked at the students. At Shinso, who was breathing too hard and pretending not to.

At Sano trying to hide knee pain. At the door shaking under another distant impact. At his own arm dripping onto white floor.

"Yes" Ren said Nezu's voice softened by almost nothing.

"Good. Then for now, your job is to keep them alive" Ren closed his eyes for half a second. The wrong kind of civilian. The one who could not stay scenery. He opened them.

"Understood"