The morning started with my phone vibrating violently against the desk. I groaned, peeling my face off the keyboard where I'd apparently fallen asleep again. Nice. Another perfect start to the day.

The caller ID read Unknown again, and a part of me already knew who it was. The smug little voice from last night echoed in my mind. Nezu. Of course.

I answered, keeping my voice steady despite being half-asleep. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Ghost Soul," Nezu greeted, his tone light and far too chipper for this hour. "I trust you slept well?"

"Define 'well,'" I muttered, rubbing the sleep out of my eyes.

A soft laugh came through the line. "I won't take up too much of your time. I have a simple question: how do you feel about an online video call? I'd like to discuss something with you face-to-face—or screen-to-screen, as it were."

An interview? Great. Just what I needed after three hours of sleep. But turning it down would only make him more suspicious. Besides, I wasn't in a position to say no.

"Sure," I said with a yawn. "Why not?"

"Wonderful! I'll send you a link. Please be ready in ten minutes."

Ten minutes? No pressure or anything.

I scrambled to make myself presentable. Sure, he couldn't see the disaster zone that was my apartment, but my face? That needed some help. I shoved on a hoodie, pulled it low over my hair, and adjusted the mask I always wore when dealing with people. Confidence? Zero. At least this way, I didn't have to look like myself.

The call came through exactly ten minutes later—because of course it did. Nezu's face appeared on my screen, his little paw resting under his chin as he looked at me with those sharp, intelligent eyes.

"Ah, there you are," he said with a small smile. "Thank you for taking the time."

"No problem," I said casually, leaning back in my chair. "What's up?"

Nezu tilted his head, studying me for a moment before he spoke. "I'll get straight to the point, Mr. Ghost Soul. You've proven yourself to be exceptionally talented, and U.A. could use someone of your skillset. However..."

There it was. The "however."

"To truly make use of your talents, we would need you on-site," he continued. "This isn't the sort of job that can be handled remotely—not if we want it done properly. And based on your situation..."

He trailed off, his eyes narrowing slightly. Did he know? How much did he know?

"...I believe this would be mutually beneficial. You need a place to stay, and we need someone who can secure and improve our systems. Of course our housings are top notch and everzthing will be prepared including food. What do you think?"

My heart skipped a beat. Was he offering me a job?

"Wait," I said, holding up a hand. "You're saying you want me to move... where, exactly?"

"To the U.A. teachers' dormitory," he replied smoothly. "You'd have your own room, of course, and access to all the resources you'd need for your work. We'd consider it part of your employment package."

A dorm room. At U.A. For free.

I blinked, trying to process the offer. On one hand, it sounded too good to be true. On the other... I needed a place to live, and this was practically being handed to me on a silver platter.

"Let me get this straight," I said slowly. "You're offering me a job, a room, and resources. All I have to do is fix your systems?"

"And maintain them," Nezu added with a smile. "Think of it as a long-term partnership."

A long-term partnership. Right. Because nothing could possibly go wrong with that.

But what choice did I have? My landlord was kicking me out, my hacking gigs weren't going to cover a new place, and this... this was stability.

"Alright," I said after a moment. "I'm in."

"Excellent!" Nezu clapped his paws together, looking genuinely pleased. "I'll have the necessary paperwork sent over shortly. Welcome to U.A., Ghost Soul. I look forward to working with you."

The call ended, leaving me staring at the screen in disbelief.

Well. That just happened.

I leaned back, exhaling slowly. I had a job. I had a place to stay. And somehow, I was about to move into the same building as Pro Heroes.

This was going to be... interesting.

As soon as the call ended, I just... stared at the blank screen for a second. Then, like a kid hyped on too much sugar, I practically launched myself out of my chair. My hands shot up in the air, and before I knew it, I was jumping around like I'd just hit the lottery.

"Yes! Yes, yes, yes!" I whispered-shouted, not wanting to alert the neighbors through these paper-thin walls. Not that they cared much, but hey, better safe than sorry.

I finally stopped after a moment, standing in the middle of my tiny room, slightly out of breath but grinning like an idiot under my mask. I couldn't believe it. Not only did I have a roof over my head again, but it wasn't just any roof—it was U.A.'s roof. And it came with food, resources, and probably better plumbing than this dump.

Okay, definitely better plumbing.

"Alright," I muttered to myself, clapping my hands together. "Let's not blow this. First things first—packing."

I turned, surveying my "home," if you could even call it that. My eyes landed on the desk where my entire life seemed to be concentrated. My PC setup gleamed in the dim light, its multiple monitors and tangled mess of cables looking like something out of a sci-fi movie. That was non-negotiable—it had to come with me.

Then there was my costume hanging on the back of the closet door. It wasn't flashy or anything, but it was mine. The dark hoodie, reinforced gloves, lightweight boots, and mask—it all served a purpose. Functional, low-profile, and definitely not something I could just leave behind.

I wandered over to the closet, opening it to find... pretty much nothing. A few shirts, a pair of jeans, and a jacket that was way too thin for winter. I didn't own much. Honestly, it made packing less of a chore, but the thought still stung a little.

Years of scraping by, jumping from place to place, and this was all I had to show for it.

"Guess that's one way to travel light," I muttered, pulling out a beat-up duffel bag from under the bed. I stuffed the clothes in first—what little there was of them—and moved to the desk.

The PC setup was going to be the tricky part. I crouched down, carefully unplugging cables and bundling them up. The monitors were next, wrapped in old towels to keep them safe. I made a mental note to ask Nezu for an Ethernet cable that wasn't held together by duct tape and pure hope.

The mask was the last thing I grabbed, lifting it off the hook on the wall. It was simple, just a matte-black cover that hid most of my face. But it was more than just a disguise—it was armor. A way to step outside and not feel like the world could see every crack in me.

I turned it over in my hands, the weight familiar and comforting. "Looks like it's you and me again," I said quietly before tucking it into the bag.

With everything packed, I stood in the middle of the room, taking one last look around. The peeling wallpaper, the flickering lightbulb, the creaky floorboards... it was all I'd ever known. And now, I was leaving it behind.

For the first time in forever, I felt... hopeful. Like maybe things were finally turning around.

"Alright," I said, slinging the duffel bag over my shoulder and grabbing the monitors under one arm. "Time to say goodbye to this dump."

As I headed for the door, a small smile tugged at my lips. This wasn't just a new job or a new place to crash. It was a new start. And for someone like me, that was priceless.