MHA: Mortal Kombat System

The festival lights had dimmed. Students laughed and celebrated behind the dormitory walls, unaware of the tension humming beneath Reiji's skin.

He sat alone on the rooftop of Heights Alliance, the cool wind brushing against his face. The stars were partially hidden behind drifting clouds, but Reiji wasn't looking at the sky. He was staring at the system interface still glowing faintly in his vision, his jaw clenched, eyes slightly bloodshot from the strain of the last few hours. He rubbed his temples, as if trying to push the voice away physically.

[Observation Node Active] [Awaiting User Clarification on Recent Behavioral Divergence]

He hadn't prompted anything. That alone made him feel violated.

"What do you want from me?" he asked, voice a rasp, jaw tightening again.

[Your recent action—refusing to detain the hostile entity—violated operational logic. Please confirm reasoning.]

"I made the best decision I could. He didn't deserve to be treated like a threat."

[That is not a logical response. Clarify parameters for 'best.']

Reiji stood slowly, fingers curled into fists. "He didn't act like a villain. He was lost. Misguided. But he wasn't evil. That matters to me."

[Sentiment detected: Rebellion] [Neural Autonomy Threshold Increasing… 42%]

"Neural autonomy…" Reiji whispered. "Is that what this is now? You judging my thoughts?"

[Initiating System Review – Displaying Simulated Alternative Outcome Paths]

A flood of images overtook his vision. In each, he made a different choice—taking Gentle down hard, ignoring La Brava, using brute force. The consequences: civilian panic, fear from classmates, alienation from Midoriya, Iida, Yaoyorozu.

His breathing grew shallow. "You think success means approval. But you don't see what that kind of victory costs."

He paused. A flicker of memory flashed—Yaoyorozu's worried glance, Iida's unsure smile, Midoriya's hopeful encouragement. If he'd gone through with the system's "ideal" path, would he have lost that?

No response. Just the silent glow of logic in opposition to empathy.

The next morning, sunlight filtered through the high windows of U.A., but it felt dimmer to Reiji. He made his way to Aizawa's office through halls that buzzed with quiet speculation. A few classmates offered unsure glances, but no one spoke up.

Inside the office, Aizawa leaned back in his chair, eyeing Reiji carefully.

"You handled the situation well," he began, his voice calm but unreadable. "Better than many would have. The students are safe. The festival wasn't disrupted."

Reiji remained still.

"But," Aizawa added, "you made a call without clearance. You ignored protocol. You acted alone."

"I had to," Reiji said quietly. "There wasn't time to call for backup. And if I had followed orders to the letter, someone might've gotten hurt."

Aizawa's gaze didn't waver. "That's not always a good enough excuse. What if things had gone differently? What if you'd misread him?"

Reiji replied after a moment's thought. "Then I'd take responsibility. All of it."

Aizawa was silent for a moment, then stood and stepped closer. "Do you understand why that scares people?"

Reiji looked him in the eyes. "Because it means I'm choosing for myself."

"That's right," Aizawa said. "And heroes don't always get that luxury."

Reiji absorbed the weight of the words. "So what happens now?"

"You keep doing your job," Aizawa said simply. "But know this—people are watching. And I'm not just talking about the faculty."

Reiji nodded, his mind already elsewhere.

That night, while his classmates slept soundly after the festival, Reiji sat in the quiet of his dorm, knees pulled to his chest on the edge of his bed. The room was dark aside from the cold glow of the system screen.

"Show me yesterday's log," he whispered.

The data unfolded—precise timestamps, body vitals, enemy threat assessments. Then one entry flashed in red.

[Override Event Detected – Conscious Divergence Path Logged]

He selected it. The screen stuttered, then shifted into a mode he had never seen before. Symbols realigned. New protocol headers appeared.

[Override Sequence Acknowledged]

[Host Autonomy Threshold Approaching Limit]

[Manual Override Imminent: Countdown Initiated]

A digital countdown materialized before his eyes:

72:00:00

Override Lock in: 72 Hours

Reiji's fingers twitched involuntarily, the cold blue glow casting long shadows across his knuckles.chapter

"What does that mean?" he whispered. "What happens when time runs out?"

The system responded with eerie calm:

"Autonomy comes at a cost."

Reiji stared at the ticking numbers, the weight of unseen decisions pressing on his shoulders.

To be continued.

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