MHA: GAMER PATH

Chapter 116: The 100 Tales of U.A. (2)

~Third POV~

[Nighttime, UA Highschool, Heights Alliance – Mina's Room, Japan]

Late that night, Mina found herself tossing and turning. She'd tried falling asleep, but her mind kept drifting back to Tokoyami's story.

She regretted attending and creating the storytelling circle in the first place since she hadn't even thought his story would bother her that much. Suddenly, a small, sharp sound was heard…

*SNAP*

Mina's eyes bulged, but when she realized it was just the creak of the dorm building as the temperature dropped, she breathed a sigh of relief and scolded herself for being so on edge, "Now, Mina, that was just the creak from the dorm building. That super scary story doesn't exist… just forget it happened."

In this jumpy state, she knew that forgetting the story and being busy in her fantasy dreams would be just the thing to help her settle down and fall asleep. But as she started pondering what to fantasize about…

*Buzz*

A low buzz. It was faint, clearly not the rattling of the building and not coming from the room next door. It was out in the hallway as she thought frightened, 'J-just my imagination!'

*Buzz*

The buzzing continued, louder than a moment ago. This was not in Mina's head as she cursed, 'Aw, dammit…'

Mina decided to investigate since there would be no fantasizing about anything if the noise kept up. She crept toward the door, cursing the noise for scaring her enough to disrupt her plans as she thought in a hopeful tone, 'Probably just one of his second-floor neighbors, out in the hall with a buzzing cell phone, right?'

That's what Mina told herself as he pushed open the door… The corridor was empty, though.

Mina's face froze. She shut the door, made a beeline back to the bed, and dove under her blanket scared as she thought in a frightened tone, 'L-like I said, just my imagination! Nobody and nothing out there!'

*BUZZ*

She poked her head out from under the blanket to make sure the noise was gone, but there it was again, getting still louder. Louder and closer, she thought nervously, almost having a panic attack, 'Why would it be coming after me? Naw, it's gotta be the vents in the building or something!'

What Mina thought logically would be an answer… Except the ventilation system had never made this sound before—a fact that Mina tried desperately to bury deep and out of sight in her mind. The buzzing grew and grew until it stopped just outside his door.

In the next instant, a thumping knock against Mina's door and a woman's voice echoed, "Mina… Ashido…"

Mina could only scream in terror that night, "Gahhhhh!"

/////

[Day 2, UA Highschool, Class 1-A, Japan]

During a break between classes the next day, the classroom was abuzz with talk of the buzzing in the night. It hadn't just been Mina, Tsuyu, Sero, Ashido, Kaminari, Tokoyami, Shinso, and Toga had also heard it.

Mina soon spoke in a scared tone upon learning that the rest of the class hadn't received visits in the night to her fellow group, "Why'd she only call out our names though? Please tell me one of you is lying and that it wasn't just our group specifically!"

The group hesitated as Mina looked towards Ren who was with them in a pleading tone getting his attention, "You seriously didn't hear anything, Yuki?"

Unfortunately for her, Ren shook his head, confused by this situation unfolding, in a kind tone, "Sorry, but no! I fell straight asleep when I hit my bed…"

Seeing their Class Rep not awake by the noises, Sero tried to make a joke, being cured to unease the tension in a nervous tone, "Heh, if we're the only ones who heard it…maybe Tokoyami's tale really did curse us?"

That was when Denki spoke up in a nervous tone both boys wore forced smiles, "C-cut it out, man."

Yui, listening to their group, raised an eyebrow as Kinoko said in a playful tone, "You guys believe that? Ha! Sounds like that scary story has you imagining things shroom!"

Denki shot back her words in a defiant tone, expressing a forced calm expression, "N-not like we're that gullible, but it was super scary, okay? The blond ghost lady is no joke."

But Denki's outburst managed to get Kirishima's interest as he asked curiously, "Ooh, so how'd this story go, exactly?"

Denki soon began to explain in a sheepish tone, "Well, first off…"

As Kaminari started to explain, Bakugo and Todoroki, both at their desks, took notice. Bakugo shouted, bolting up out of his chair, "Quit it with your weird-ass stories when I'm within earshot!"

With hands in their pockets, he slid open the classroom door with his foot like always and stormed out. Izuku blinked, seeing this development as he thought curiously, 'Maybe he scares easily…?'

Izuku kept this thought to himself, though. Kyoka Jiro hadn't said a word until now, but she decided to speak up, her voice trembling in a scared tone, "Um, I heard it too. The strange buzzing… It kept going until dawn."

Hearing Denki grasping at that small triumph, though part of him still wished it had been their collective imaginations in a confident tone said, "There, see! It must've been real then!"

For better or worse, Jiro was class 1-A's resident expert on all things sound-related, so her word was as good as proof. An aura of unease settled over the entire class, and Ren stepped forward with his commanding assessment in a determined tone, "Curse or no curse, the fact that several of you heard this odd noise is concerning indeed. There may be something wrong with the dormitory itself, so we need to get to the bottom of this. As class president, I will take responsibility and solve this mystery!"

The whole class sighed a breath of relief when Ren said that. Although he was curious about the noises, he thought curiously, 'I don't recall this happening in the manga or anime before. Best to deal with this since the next arc is coming up soon. Besides…'

Returning to his seat, he thought smugly as the girls looked at him in awe, 'I get some brownie points showing my badass self. Time to solve this mystery! Best to prepare some support gear in the process.'

/////

[Nighttime, UA Highschool, Heights Alliance, Japan]

That night, Ren sat outside his room in the hallway, wrapped in a blanket. He found himself fighting to keep awake, which was no surprise, as he was the type to adhere to a strict bedtime under ordinary circumstances.

Having to stay awake, he yawned as he spoke out in a tired tone doing the stakeout, said Ren before taking a sip of the coffee prepared for him by the girls, "Ah… Oh my, almost nodded off again… can't believe I'm doing this. But if the girls give me some coffee, who can I deny the premium good stuff that Momo has? Heh."

Recalling the boys, Ida and some of the others had suggested they keep watch in shifts, but the class president had refused their offer, feeling that it was his duty to ensure a good night's sleep for his electorate.

But Ren's face flinched, gazing at the coffee in a disappointed tone, "The coffee wasn't doing much to keep me awake, though. Let's just hope that nothing comes of this."

As his eyelids started to close, Ren heard the buzzing. That got his attention alerted.

*Buzz*

He gasped at the faint, unfamiliar noise and glanced around, but nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Within moments, Kaminari, Izuku, and Shinso had all popped out of their rooms to join Ren in the second-floor corridor as he asked curiously, "Were you all awake this whole time?"

Izuku admitted with a pained smile in an innocent tone, "After hearing that story, I couldn't sleep a wink."

Ren gave them a deadpan stare for even listening to the story. But that was when Denki asked in a scared tone, "Seriously, though what's that crazy noise?"

He and an equally terrified Shinso scanned the hallway for the source of the sound but couldn't find a thing. The four boys glanced at each other warily before…

"Gahhhh!!"

Then, a small scream from below as Denki asked surprised, "Was that Mina?"

Eyes narrowing Ren said with a nod, "Let's check!"

They raced down to the second floor to find a trembling Mina clinging to Ren's leg. Kendo and Tokoyami stood nearby, looking drained as he asked in a frustrated tone, "What happened?"

Looking down, grabbing Mina as she clenched in his arms, he said in a frightened tone, "Sh-she called my name again!"

Kendo added in a frightened tone, with Tokoyami being equally startled, "I heard it too. First, a knock on Mina's door, then a voice…"

The three soon corroborated their accounts of how they arrived. They all seemed more than serious enough to give Ren pause as he wondered out loud, "What on earth is behind all this…?"

*BUZZ*

That night, the entire class heard the buzzing. Having heard this, Ren's eyes narrowed as he sighed out loud, giving orders to his classmates in a stern tone using [Wormhole] to give them an entrance to return, "Everyone returns to your dorm rooms. Use the portals to return to your rooms I'll check everything out. And lock your doors no matter what happens. Do I make myself clear?"

They all nodded, taking the idea as they entered the portals. With them gone, Ren sighed as he tried to locate the cause in an annoyed tone, "Great… just what I needed. Now what the hell is causing that – oh."

He tried to locate the cause of the disturbance till he saw it in front of his face. At the outside entrance revealed a ghostly figure of a blond woman gazing at him. Her unsettling smile widened lightly whispering his name along came a buzzing sound.

*BUZZ*

Ren had a deadpan expression as he used [Observe] on the figure, cursing lightly to himself about what he saw, "Well… this is certainly a surprising turn of events. Didn't think Tokoyami's scary tale was fucking cursed. Just fuck me, why don't ya, world?"

[Cursed Demon Lv.? Curse Spirit]

The Cursed Demon woman edges closer to Ren as she begins to grasp close to him, he cheekily says, "I can interact with the supernatural. I can damage anything, no matter what form they take."

*CRUNCH*

The Cursed Demon looked genuinely shocked as Ren crushed the Cursed Demon's wrist with a cruel smirk stating a fact, "[New Order] just gotta love the bullshit OP abilities. And as for you…"

*SQUISH*

Squishing the Cursed Demon into a ball as it tried to yell in pain. Only it couldn't as Ren crushed her voice, turning it into a ball of ghostly flesh using [Transmute] capable of interacting with the abomination into a ghostly ball.

Feeling a chill over his hand, Ren muttered in a silent whisper about the predicament he was in in a conflicted tone, "Now, what to deal with you? No way I can say that ghosts are real and can't exactly kill you for EXP, either… Oh!"

That was when Ren had a good idea, grinning evilly at the ghost ball as it shook, being caught by Ren's hands. The Demon Curse heard his plan as it shook in fear, and Ren was inspired in a confident tone and said, "Oh! I know what to do with you. I've always wondered what a purified Sorbet from the Delicious in Dungeon would taste like. You'll be beaten with purified holy water with lots of sugar and other holy tasty things!! You'll be my main ingredient!!"

Ren soon began to take it to the kitchen he began to use [High Spec] to think of a way to make his classmates calm down. The wailings of the Demon Curse could be heard being beaten, creating the perfect Sorbet ice cream as the screams terrified his classmates, overhearing the sound…

/////

[Day 3, UA Highschool, Class 1-A, Japan]

"A noise. Really?"

Shota Aizawa did nothing to hide the doubt in his voice, though his entire class looked as gloomy as the overcast sky. The weather forecast was calling for a storm that night, and stronger and stronger winds were already whipping through the trees outside.

The kids had all slept terribly and had been unable to focus on classes, earning Aizawa's quiet wrath during the final homeroom of the day. The teacher was used to one or two slackers, but the issue was widespread enough to make him demand an explanation in a visibly annoyed tone, "You can't possibly believe in something so irrational as the paranormal, though."

Momo soon spoke up, but her voice was cracking in a frightened tone, "W-we don't, necessarily. But after a series of inexplicable events, we can't help but be shaken…"

The girls of 1-A had also heard the buzzing and had spent the night huddled with their respective floor mates. Ida shot his hand up and stood in a determined tone, "Sensei! This is a real predicament! Some anomaly is afflicting our living quarters, and if this keeps up, I'm afraid it will affect our academic performance! I believe we ought to ascertain the cause and resolve the matter posthaste!"

Mina was clutching her face as she hugged her body, shaking, letting the fear take over her rationality in a frightened tone, "I-I can't take it anymore! No way I'm getting a wink of sleep when that ghost keeps calling my name!"

Aizawa raised an eyebrow as he muttered out loud, recalling something, "Paranormal happenings… I remember hearing about that here at U.A."

The whole class stared wide-eyed, and Ren blurted out, surprised, "Seriously?"

Aizawa nodded his head as he spoke as calmly as ever, explaining to his students till he goofed, realizing what he said, "One of the 'Seven Mysteries of U.A.,' yeah… They say that the ghost of an alum who couldn't make it as a hero haunts the campus, cursing anyone who spots it. Especially in the woods behind the main building, which is… Oh. Right where they built the dorms, actually."

His words did not help the class's unease as Ren gave him a deadpan stare. The class sat still for a beat before erupting in pandemonium.

"And now that ghost is haunting our new home!"

"Nooo!"

"Heights Alliance is, like, totally haunted!"

The class was prone to laughing off most things, but the terror of a ghostly haunting was too much for the kids' psyches. Aizawa sighed, regretting his addition of fuel to the fire as he started saying, "Listen…"

Unfortunately for Aizawa, the students were too riled up. Aizawa felt his face twitch seeing the future heroes be this panic from a story.

"If the whole building's haunted, we've got nowhere to run!"

"S-salt! We need salt to purify the place! Wait, crud, all we've got is that gomashio salt full of sesame seeds!"

"Do y'think the ghost will come after me even though I'm invisible? Please say no, please say no!"

"We need sugar and fire! I heard they work wonders!"

Since he did feel responsible for riling up the class even further, Aizawa tried using kid gloves to calm everyone down. But alas, they forced him in the end to resort to one of his usual sharp rebukes, yelling at them, "Enough already!"

With an almost Pavlovian response, the class registered Aizawa's low voice as it penetrated the hubbub, the voice that meant serious business. They fought to contain their fear and, though still trembling, fell silent.

Aizawa gave them a conciliatory sigh and decided to throw them a bone as he said stoically, "If this disturbance is such a problem, I'll drop by tonight to check it out. That's the rational approach, especially since it'll be storming tonight. So be sure to be in your rooms when I come around to do the roll call."

They could feel the love from their teacher, even if he was as blunt about it as ever as they all exclaimed happily, "Th-thank you, Sensei!"

With that, everyone was soon excused as Ren placed a hand over Momo, talking to her in a calm tone, "Momo. Take the day off Vice Rep duties. I can take care of it and get some rest with the others, okay?"

Momo wanted to object, but she was wobbling slightly. Tsuyu took charge, grabbing her as she said bluntly, "No worries, I got her, Ren-san. But please don't push yourself too much, okay… Ribbit."

Ren smiled with a light nod as Class 1-A left to get some rest. Aizawa gazed at Ren, calling his bluff with his arms crossed, knowing he lied in a blunt tone, "Alright, problem child… what 'really' happened that night? I can know when someone lies just by looking at your face."

Ren chuckled lightly as he explained to Aizawa in a calm tone what happened, using his [New Order] to share his experience of the event. Aizawa calmly saw the scene with a raised eyebrow, asking in a stoic tone, "You purified the cursed demon by beating it to death using a jar of holy sweets turning into Sorbet? And when the hell are you a certified priest to make holy water?"

This time, Ren raised an eyebrow as Aizawa took the concept of the ghost to be real he asked bluntly, "You seem to have taken the concept of ghosts real. Have you encountered this before…? And no, I followed Google on how to become a priest illegally to make holy water."

Aizawa shook his head, leaning his back to the wall as he explained stoically, "No. But you didn't ask stupid questions, and you took care of the ghost. Good move, not telling the students about the ghost."

Ren nodded his head as he asked curiously what Aizawa would do, crossing his arms together, "Yeah. I made extra sure to bless my classmates with holy water and ingrained salt around the building. But otherwise, I'll make sure to trick my classmates into thinking all the assumptions were something other than scary stories. The last thing I need is for them to worry about the supernatural."

Aizawa nodded his head, sighing out loud as he asked curiously, "Sigh… you're right on that. I'll see what you have in plan to make your classmates not worry."

With that, both began to discuss how to explain the plan to fool their classmates of the truth about what happened to help them focus on matters at hand…