I stared at Koda, my pulse thundering in my ears. The knife in his hands glinted faintly under my flashlight, and for a moment, I felt like the world had narrowed to just him and me.

"Koda," I said slowly, keeping my voice low, calm. "Put the knife down."

He didn't move. His eyes, wide and teary, stayed locked on mine, but there was something else there now—a mix of fear and... guilt?

"Koda," I tried again, taking a small step forward, my heart hammering in my chest. "It's okay. Just talk to me. Tell me what happened."

He shook his head violently, the tears streaming down his face faster now. "I... I didn't want to..." His voice was barely above a whisper, shaking with every word. "They... they made me do it."

"They?" I echoed, my stomach twisting. "Who's 'they,' Koda? Who made you?"

He whimpered, curling tighter around the knife. "They said they'd hurt them... hurt the animals... my mom... if I didn't—" His voice broke into a sob, and my chest ached at the sheer terror in his voice.

Todoroki appeared behind me, silent as always, his gaze immediately landing on the knife. "Midoriya."

I raised a hand to stop him. "Don't. Just... let me handle this."

I crouched down slowly, making myself smaller, less threatening. "Koda, listen to me. No one's going to hurt you. You're safe now. But you have to tell me what's going on."

For a moment, I thought he wouldn't answer. But then, in a voice so soft I had to strain to hear, he said, "The League... they made me... they said if I didn't do what they wanted, they'd kill them. All of them."

My blood ran cold. The League of Villains. Of course.

"What did they want you to do, Koda?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.

He looked at the knife, his hands trembling. "I didn't mean to hurt anyone... I swear. I tried to stop... but they kept watching. They always knew."

Todoroki's voice was low, controlled. "Midoriya. We need to tell Aizawa. Now."

"No!" Koda cried, his voice breaking. "You can't! If they find out I talked, they'll—"

"They won't," I said firmly, cutting him off. "We'll protect you. But we can't help if you don't let us."

He shook his head again, his sobs growing louder. "You don't understand! They don't just watch—they're here!"

I froze. "What do you mean, 'here'?"

"They're in the school," he whispered, his voice trembling with terror. "They've been here the whole time."

My stomach dropped.

Todoroki and I exchanged a glance, and for once, his usually calm expression showed a flicker of alarm.

"Koda," I said, forcing my voice to stay steady. "Who's here? Who's watching?"

He didn't answer. His gaze darted past me, toward the shadows in the hallway behind us.

And then I heard it.

A faint sound, like the scrape of a shoe against the floor.

I turned, my flashlight cutting through the darkness. Nothing.

But the feeling of being watched was undeniable.

"Koda," I said, keeping my voice low, "we need to leave. Now."

He hesitated, clutching the knife tighter. "They'll find me..."

"They won't," I promised, though I wasn't sure I believed it myself. "We won't let them."

Todoroki moved closer, his hand resting lightly on my shoulder. "Let's go."

We helped Koda to his feet, his small frame shaking between us.

But as we stepped into the hallway, I couldn't shake the feeling that we weren't alone.

Somewhere in the shadows, someone was watching.

And they were waiting.