MY HERO ACADEMIA:NEXT GENERATION

Chapter 31:Hidden Truths

The dim glow of the streetlights barely illuminated Kenji's room as he lay on his bed, the faint hum of the city outside filling the silence. His phone lay on the pillow beside him, the text from Kai sitting unanswered. It was late, and his mind buzzed with everything that had been uncovered or rather, the things still hidden. The stalker watching his every move. The unresolved tension with his dad. Kenji felt like he was always two steps behind, no matter how hard he tried.

He turned over, staring at the clock, watching the minutes tick by.

"More time," Kai had said. They needed more time.

But Kenji wasn’t sure how much time he had before everything came crashing down.

His phone buzzed again. He reached for it instinctively, half-expecting another vague update from Kai, but it wasn’t him. It was Ren.

Ren: Can’t sleep. You?

Kenji stared at the screen for a moment before replying.

Kenji: Same.

There was a pause, and then another message popped up.

Ren: Wanna go for a walk? Clear your head?

Kenji hesitated, his thumb hovering over the screen. He wasn’t sure if he should. There were too many dangers lurking in the dark now, too many unknowns. But then again, it was Ren, and after everything that had happened between them, maybe a walk would do them both some good.

Kenji: Yeah. Meet you at the park in 10?

Ren: On my way.

Kenji pocketed his phone, grabbed his jacket, and quietly slipped out of the house. The cool night air hit him as soon as he stepped outside, a refreshing contrast to the heavy atmosphere inside his room. His neighborhood was quiet, the streets almost eerily still this late at night.

As he walked to the park, his mind wandered back to Kai's cryptic findings. He didn’t know the details yet, but something about his past had shaken Kai. Kenji had always wondered about his biological parents why they had left him, who they were but it wasn’t something his father, Shoto, ever discussed. Shoto had raised him as his own, and Kenji had always trusted him... until now.

When Kenji reached the park, he saw Ren already sitting on a bench, his face bathed in the soft glow of the nearby streetlight. He looked up as Kenji approached, a faint smile on his lips.

"Hey," Ren greeted, his tone lighter than it had been in days.

"Hey," Kenji replied, sitting beside him.

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment, the distant sounds of the city filling the gaps between them. It wasn’t awkward like before. In fact, it felt... right. Like old times, before the stalker, before the secrets. Before Kenji had started pushing everyone away.

"How are you holding up?" Ren asked after a while, his gaze still fixed on the sky above.

Kenji exhaled slowly, leaning back on the bench. "I don't know. It feels like everything's spiraling out of control, and I can't stop it. The stalker, my dad, this whole mess with my biological parents... It’s like I’m chasing shadows."

Ren frowned slightly, turning to look at Kenji. "Your biological parents?"

Kenji hesitated. He hadn’t told Ren everything. Not yet. But he had promised to be more open, and if there was anyone who deserved to know, it was Ren.

"Yeah," Kenji said quietly. "Kai’s been helping me dig into some things, and... it turns out my dad's been hiding something about my birth. My real parents. I’ve never known who they were, and now... well, Kai’s found something. But it’s all sealed top security, like someone doesn’t want the truth to come out."