I landed on my balcony, pulled open the sliding door to my little hideout, and flopped onto the floor in a heap of tired limbs. The cold from the rooftops still clung to my Santa suit, but at least I was inside. Safe. Sort of.

"'Underage,' he says," I muttered to myself, throwing off the duffel bag as I sat up. "Does he realize how many 16-year-olds have jobs these days? It's called being responsible, Eraserhead. Maybe you've heard of it."

I glanced toward the ceiling, where my thoughts decided to linger a little longer than necessary. That chase... it had been fun.

I knew I probably shouldn't be laughing. Aizawa was one of my old teachers, after all. You'd think nearly getting dragged in by his scary sentient scarf would traumatize me for life. Nope. Instead, here I was, smirking like an idiot and actually missing the guy.

"Still got it, Sensei," I said, snickering to myself. "You haven't slowed down at all. Not even with the eye bags."

If anything, that chase felt more like a nostalgic field trip than an actual threat. For a moment, I was 14 again, back in UA, being yelled at during training because I was too stubborn to sit out. Only now, I had a mask, a mission, and significantly better cardio.

I dropped back onto my couch, staring at the ceiling, a grin still tugging at my lips. Who knew rooftops at 4 a.m. could feel so nostalgic?

That's when my phone buzzed.

Now, don't get me wrong—I know better than to check messages this late. But I also have a horrible habit of hoping for dumb stuff like, I don't know, a text that says: "Surprise! Someone else is saving the world tonight so you can sleep for once!"

Spoiler alert: It wasn't that.

I picked up my phone and squinted at the notification.

New Message: ChessBuddy77
Subject: "Care for a game?"

My smile dropped.

"...Oh no," I muttered, already feeling the stress headache forming.

ChessBuddy77.

For most people, that name would sound harmless. Cute, even. But I knew better. Oh, I knew better.

This wasn't just any chess invite. This was from Nezu. Principal of UA. Genius. Rodent overlord. The only being on earth capable of terrifying both heroes and villains with nothing but his mind.

And apparently, he'd found my second account.

I stared at the screen like it was going to explode. "How the hell did he find me?"

Now, you're probably wondering how this started. Long story short: I like chess. I'm good at chess. And so, in my infinite wisdom, I decided to challenge myself with anonymous games online. I even made a second account—no name, no traceable details. Or so I thought.

Turns out Nezu had an even harder second account to track. I'd played him once. He'd won. I played him again. I won. It turned into a quiet rivalry where I never admitted who I was, and I'm pretty sure he was only humoring me because he found it interesting.

But now, this message...

I read it again, my gut sinking.

"Care for a game? Winner takes 100,000 yen."

I nearly dropped my phone.

"Are you kidding me?!" I hissed. One hundred grand? For a chess match?! Who does that? Oh, right—Nezu does.

I sat up straight, fully awake now, my heart pounding. 100k would help me clear out entire shops for Christmas. It would be stupid to say no.

But also—how the hell did he know to message me?

I scanned the message for any sign that my identity had been compromised. No details. No hints. Just an invite. Still...

"This is a trap," I muttered. "It's definitely a trap. The rat's onto me."

And yet... my fingers hovered over the screen.

I mean... it was Nezu. Genius principal or not, the guy was kind of my rival. And no way was I turning down the chance to wipe that smug little grin off his face. Plus, 100,000 yen.

"Alright, you little rodent," I said to my empty room, cracking my knuckles. "You want to play chess? Let's play chess."

I clicked 'accept.'

Game on.

Immediately, my laptop screen lit up with the familiar chessboard interface. The pieces were in place. My anonymous username—GreenGhost—sat on one side of the board. Nezu's ChessBuddy77 sat on the other.

I took a deep breath.

This wasn't just about the money anymore. This was about pride. Dignity. And toys for orphans, obviously.

As the timer started counting down, I leaned forward, my eyes narrowing. "Alright, Nezu... show me what you've got."

His first move was a pawn to E4. Classic. Aggressive.

I grinned, my fingers dancing across the touchpad. "You're not the only one who can play aggressive, buddy."

Pawn to C5.

The game was on.

What followed was, quite frankly, the most stressful 15 minutes of my life. Nezu played like a machine—flawless, calculated, ruthless. Every move felt like he was setting a hundred traps I couldn't see.

But I didn't back down. I threw my own traps at him. I baited, I countered, I sacrificed pieces with the precision of a madman.

At one point, I swore I heard Nezu's laughter echo in my brain. The man was enjoying this.

"Oh, you rat," I muttered as he cornered my rook. "Think you're clever, huh? Well, guess what—I'm clever and petty."

Slowly, move by move, I started to see it. The opening. He'd underestimated me. A slight slip with his knight left his queen exposed.

I pounced.

"Check," I said aloud, grinning like a lunatic.

Nezu moved his king. I followed up, pressing my advantage.

Three moves later—

Checkmate.

I stared at the screen in disbelief. My heart was pounding, my hands trembling.

"No way," I whispered. "Did I—did I win?"

The notification popped up.

Winner: GreenGhost.
100,000 yen transferred.

I threw my hands in the air, nearly toppling off the couch.

"YES! Suck it, Nezu!" I shouted, cackling. "You thought you could beat me? ME?! I am the chess king!"

My laughter echoed through the empty room as I fell back onto the couch, clutching my face with both hands. 100,000 yen. I'd done it.

Toys, clothes, everything—I could get it all now.

I glanced at the screen again, half-expecting Nezu to send some ominous follow-up like, "Well played. I'll see you soon."

Instead, the chat was silent.

"Yeah, that's right," I muttered, shutting the laptop with a satisfied smirk. "Don't mess with the Bunny."

And just like that, Christmas was saved.

I lay back, grinning at the ceiling. Maybe I was quirkless. Maybe I was running around rooftops at 16, dressed like Santa. But tonight? I'd won.

"Take that, rodent overlord," I said softly, before finally, finally closing my eyes.