Heh. Too easy.

I weave between the trees, shadows curling around me like a well-worn cloak. The quiet of the woods is almost peaceful, if you ignore the subtle sounds of confusion and frustration coming from the students still left in the game. 

Well, what's left of them, anyway.

Class 1B went down without much of a fight. I didn't even need to use a quirk—just some basic traps, well-timed distractions, and a few carefully placed punches. They fell like dominos. Vlad's class might be sharp, but they're no match for me when I've got time to plan and let the chaos flow.

 One after the other. 

A little nudge here, a well-placed ambush there. 

Almost feels like cheating.

But nah, that would be boring.

I can't help the grin tugging at the corners of my mouth as I think about how fun it's been watching Vlad unravel. The guy's completely out of his depth, stomping around in the woods, yelling at Aizawa like some paranoid madman.

Vlad: "Aizawa! Show yourself!"

Yeah, right, I think, stifling a laugh. Vlad's been running in circles, thinking Aizawa's the one picking off his students, but it's been me the whole time. Quiet. Invisible. The mastermind he didn't even know was in play.

I watch from a distance, just close enough to hear Vlad shout into the empty forest again.

Vlad King: I know you're behind this!

Technically, you're not wrong.

The rush of outsmarting a seasoned pro like Vlad King sends a thrill through me. I mean, come on—this is the guy who's supposed to be teaching Class 1B how to deal with real-world villains, and here I am, quirkless and bored, turning his whole class into cannon fodder. 

And he has no idea it's even happening.

The best part? Watching him flail around, shouting at shadows, thinking Aizawa is the mastermind. It's almost too perfect.

You'd think someone as experienced as Vlad would've caught on by now. 

But nope. 

Still blaming poor Eraserhead.

It's like a game of chess, really. One well-timed move, and the whole board shifts. Just like when I yanked Kinoko Komori into the shadows. She didn't even see it coming—too focused on the fight ahead to notice me slip in from behind. By the time she realized what happened, it was over. Silent. Precise.

And then there was Yosetsu Awase. He tried to get clever, welding some metal to form a barrier, but I took him out with a simple trap that left him dangling upside down from a tree. Knocked out before he even knew what hit him.

Vlad's got to be losing his mind. 

He must be wondering how his precious students are disappearing without a trace. All I had to do was give them a little nudge in the right direction—just enough to steer them into the traps. And I didn't even break a sweat.

I slip back through the woods, making my way toward our base camp where the rest of the team is gathered. I keep my head down, just another member of the group—innocent, friendly, helpful.

They have no idea.

Uraraka's the first one I spot when I return. She's sitting with her knees pulled up to her chest, looking at the map with that same intense concentration she always has during strategy meetings. But there's something different about her today. She keeps glancing my way, just for a second, like she's trying to figure something out.

Uraraka: Izuku... you okay?

Me: Huh? Yeah, of course! Why wouldn't I be?

I flash her my best smile, the same one I always use to hide how much I'm really enjoying this. It's easy—almost too easy—to slip back into the role of the innocent strategist, offering ideas and plans that sound harmless enough. But I can tell she's watching me a little too closely now.

The rest of the team huddles up, talking tactics and what's left of the competition.

Bakugo: We've got to take Aizawa down. No way he's doing all this alone, he must have partnered up with that blood sucker. That damn scarf of his is probably rigged with traps too.

Oh, Bakugo, you're not even close.

I lean in, pretending to be invested in their conversation. Uraraka gives me another look, frowning slightly. I notice the way her eyes narrow, like she's trying to read between the lines of what I'm saying.

Uraraka: I don't know... something feels off. The way things have been going, it's like...

Me: Like Aizawa's got us all outplayed?

I offer innocently, letting a bit of fake concern slip into my voice.

Her frown deepens, and I can see the wheels turning in her head. She's suspicious, but she doesn't know what of. Not yet, anyway. I can tell she's starting to connect the dots. After all, every time I make a suggestion, something seems to go horribly wrong.

Like earlier when I mentioned how we should take the right path instead of the left. The group trusted me, of course. And boom—two traps, right in a row. Kaminari and Sero were gone before anyone could blink.

Oops. My bad.

I stay quiet for a bit, listening as the others talk strategy. Uraraka's eyes keep flicking back to me, though. She's too perceptive for her own good. If anyone's going to figure out what's really happening, it'll be her.

But I'm not worried. Not yet. I've played this game too well, laid the groundwork too perfectly for anyone to suspect me of all people.

I'm just sweet, harmless Izuku Midoriya, after all.

Still, it's kind of fun, watching Uraraka squirm. Her instincts are good—too good, really. I make a mental note to keep a closer eye on her. She's the kind of person who notices the little things, like how I always seem to know just where the traps are or how my suggestions always lead to more chaos.

Sorry, Uraraka, but you're not stopping me now.

I stretch my arms, pretending to yawn.

Me: We just need to be more careful from now on. Aizawa's obviously got some tricks up his sleeve.

I can see Uraraka frowning at that. She knows something's wrong, but she doesn't know what. And that's the best part. Keeping them all guessing, all on edge, while I sit right in the middle of it, pulling the strings from behind the curtain.

This is way more fun than just playing hero.

Uraraka glances at me one last time, her suspicion clear in her eyes. But I smile back, the same smile I always give her, and her suspicion fades just a little.

For now.