The air between us was tight.
Unstable.
Like space itself didn't know which one of us to follow.
Two of me.
One real.
One not.
Himiko Toga—still wearing my face—tilted her head, smiling.
"…So serious~"
I didn't move.
"…Drop it."
She blinked.
"…Drop what?"
"…The act."
A pause.
Then—
A small crack.
The Disguise Starts Failing
Her cheek flickered.
Just slightly.
Like a glitch.
Like something underneath was trying to break through.
"…Ah…"
She touched her face lightly.
"…Looks like I didn't bring enough…"
Her voice wavered—
Still mine—
But not perfectly anymore.
I narrowed my eyes.
"…Your time's running out."
She smiled wider.
"…Then I'll just have to make it quick~"
The Fight Begins
She moved first.
Fast.
Too fast.
A distortion flickered around her—
Unstable—
But real.
My eyes widened.
"…You're already using it—?!"
She laughed, lunging forward.
"Just a little~!"
I vanished.
Reappeared behind her—
Swung—
She ducked instantly.
"…You move like me," she said, spinning. "But you think too much."
I opened three portals at once—
She hesitated—
Wrong move.
I stepped through one—
Then another—
Then a third—
Appearing from an angle she didn't expect—
Impact.
My foot connected with her side—
Sending her skidding across the rooftop.
"…Got you."
She Keeps Adapting
She rolled—
Stopped—
And laughed.
"…That was good~!"
Her arm flickered again.
More noticeable this time.
"…But I'm not done yet!"
She charged again—
This time sloppier—
But more aggressive.
Knives flew.
I dodged—
Barely—
Opened a portal—
Redirected one—
It flew back toward her—
She twisted—
Dodged—
Grinning the whole time.
"…You're getting stronger…"
"…And you're losing control," I shot back.
The Glitches Get Worse
Her face flickered again.
Longer this time.
For just a second—
It wasn't me anymore.
Then it snapped back.
"…Ah… that's annoying…" she muttered.
I stepped forward slowly.
"…It's ending."
She didn't respond right away.
Just stood there.
Breathing.
Smiling.
"…Then come finish it."
Final Clash
The air warped.
Hard.
I moved—
Faster than before—
Stacked portals—
Layered movement—
Unpredictable—
She tried to follow—
But she couldn't keep up anymore.
I appeared in front of her—
Hand out—
Space tightening—
"…Got you."
She froze.
Just for a second.
And that was enough.
The Disguise Breaks
Her form flickered—
Hard.
Violently.
And then—
It collapsed.
Not all at once—
But in pieces.
Fragments of my appearance fading away—
Revealing her real self underneath.
I immediately turned my head slightly, looking away on instinct.
"…Yeah—okay—nope—not looking—fight's over—"
My brain tried to stay focused.
Finish the fight.
That was the goal.
But—
Brain Malfunction
"…uh—"
My thoughts stalled.
Hard.
Heat rushed to my face instantly.
"…WHY—"
I covered my face with one hand, still keeping my other ready just in case.
"…this is NOT part of the plan—"
Behind me—
She giggled.
"…You're blushing~"
"STOP TALKING—" I snapped, voice cracking slightly.
My brain was not cooperating.
At all.
Focus.
Fight.
Finish it.
"…I—uh—"
Nope.
Not working.
Emergency Exit
I didn't even try to recover.
I just—
Opened a portal.
Fast.
Messy.
Immediate.
"…NOPE—WE'RE DONE HERE—"
And I jumped through it.
Back with Everyone
I landed hard back near the others—
Kaito, Midoriya, everyone turning instantly.
"REN—?!"
I stood there.
Frozen.
Face completely red.
Eyes unfocused.
Brain… lagging.
"…I…"
Pause.
"…won."
Silence.
Denki squinted.
"…Why do you look like your brain just crashed?"
Kaito stared.
"…What happened?"
I didn't answer right away.
Because I genuinely couldn't.
"…I need… a minute…"
Midoriya blinked.
"…Are you okay?"
"…No."
I sat down slowly.
Still processing.
Still buffering.
"…I was ready for the fight…"
"…I was NOT ready for… that…"
Denki leaned toward Kaito.
"…What does that even mean?"
Kaito just shook his head slowly.
"…I think Ren just experienced something worse than getting stabbed."
I buried my face in my hands.
"…I hate this."
Final Scene
Far away—
On the rooftop—
Himiko Toga stood alone again.
Back to normal.
She stretched slightly.
Smiling.
"…He ran away~"
A small laugh escaped her.
"…Guess I win this round too."
Her eyes softened just slightly.
"…But next time…"
Her grip tightened on her knife.
"…I won't run out."