MY HERO ACADEMIA:NEXT GENERATION

Chapter 28: Breaking Point

The day started like any other. U.A. High was buzzing with activity, and Kenji felt a pit of unease growing in his stomach. It wasn’t from the usual tension he had with Kai or the uncertainty about the stalker who had been haunting him for months. No, today he was going to tell Ren and maybe Shiro everything—about the strange presence, the attacks, and the secrets he’d kept hidden for too long.

He had already decided. Felix knew the truth, and it seemed only fair that his best friends should too. Keeping it from them from Ren had only made things worse, and Kenji was tired of the burden. Even a little.

The plan was simple: tell them after the physical training lesson, when they could slip away for privacy and see where they go from there. Felix was on board with the plan, too. They had been working together for the past few weeks, trying to make sense of the stalker, but they were still hesitant about going to Shoto or the police without more evidence. Felix, with his calm and calculated demeanor, had suggested waiting a little longer, and Kenji, although restless, had agreed. They needed time to put the pieces together.

As they gathered in the gym for the day’s lesson, Kenji could feel the weight of his decision pressing down on him. It was only a matter of hours now. Ren was laughing at something Shiro said, oblivious to the storm about to hit. Kai, on the other hand, was his usual brooding self, occasionally glancing Kenji’s way but not saying much. Felix gave Kenji a nod from across the room, as if to say, We’ve got this. It was the best option telling people he trusted without getting heroes or the police in evolved, if the case went down to them Kenji would never find out anything about his past even if his father had access, which he would he'd be too much of a worrycat and never reveal anything to Kenji.

But Kenji had been ignoring something crucial: the wound from his fight with the stalker. It had never healed properly. He had wrapped it, kept it hidden, and continued on with his daily life. But deep down, he knew something was wrong.

During warm-ups, Kenji felt an odd twinge in his side, sharper than usual. He gritted his teeth, pushing through it. I can’t deal with this now, he thought. He had bigger things to worry about, like how Ren and Shiro would react to his secrets.

But as the lesson moved into sparring drills, Kenji’s body began to betray him. His vision blurred slightly, and his breathing became labored. Every movement sent jolts of pain through his side.

Then, in the middle of a movement, everything went black.

Kenji collapsed to the ground, gasping. The world spun as pain radiated through his body, and the last thing he heard before darkness took him was Ren’s panicked shout.

"Kenji!"

Ren was the first to reach him, skidding to his side and shaking him gently. “Kenji! Hey, wake up! What’s wrong?”

Kai wasn’t far behind, his eyes wide with concern, despite the cold distance he usually maintained. But before either of them could react further, Felix was there, pushing Ren aside with surprising force.

“Move! Let me through!” Felix yelled, his usual calm shattered by the urgency in his voice.

Felix knelt beside Kenji and quickly began to tear at his shirt, ripping it open to reveal the bandages beneath. “This—” he muttered under his breath, “—why didn’t he say anything?!”

With swift hands, Felix unwrapped the layers of cloth, revealing the wound beneath. It was far worse than anyone had imagined—deep, red, and pulsing with infection, as though it had just been inflicted.

The air in the room seemed to freeze as the others stared in shock.

Felix cursed under his breath and shouted, “Someone get Recovery Girl! Now!”