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The box arrives on a day that is, by all accounts, suspiciously peaceful.
No alarms.
No explosions.
No dramatic prophecies.
Just a medium-sized cardboard box sitting in the monastery courtyard with FAN MAIL — DO NOT IGNORE written on it in uneven marker.
Jay is the first to see it.
“Oh my gosh,” he says, already crouching. “Guys. Guys. GUYS. We have fans.”
Kai squints at the box. “That could also be a trap.”
“It says fan mail,” Jay points out. “Traps usually say something ominous. Like doom.”
Nya crosses her arms. “Or they pretend to be harmless. Like cake.”
Zane kneels beside the box, scanning it. “There are no detectable explosives, toxins, or cursed runes.”
Cole peers over his shoulder. “What about emotional damage?”
Zane pauses. “That remains a possibility.”
Lloyd hesitates at the edge of the group, staring at the box like it might suddenly start talking to him.
Wu is nowhere to be found, which somehow makes this worse.
“Well,” Jay says brightly, already opening the lid, “only one way to find out!”
Jay Goes First (Obviously)
The box is full of envelopes—some neat, some crumpled, some decorated with stickers, hearts, or enthusiastic misspellings.
Jay grabs one at random.
“Dear Lightning Ninja,” he reads aloud immediately. “I love your hair. I have ranked it against other fictional hair and it is number three.”
Kai leans over. “Number three?”
Jay flips the page. “There’s a chart.”
“Please tell me there’s a graph,” Nya says.
“There is,” Jay says, delighted. “Oh, wow. I lost points for ‘excessive volume during combat.’ That’s just rude.”
He keeps reading anyway.
Kai Pretends Not to Care
Kai snatches up his own stack, flipping through them with forced indifference.
“‘Dear Flame Guy,’” he reads. “‘Can you use fire powers to cook meat evenly?’ Yes. Next.”
Another letter.
“‘Are you single?’” Kai scoffs. “That’s not even about hero work.”
Nya smirks. “You kept that one.”
Kai does not deny it.
Cole Gets Exactly One Letter
Cole opens a single envelope.
He reads it silently.
“…They say I seem dependable,” he says eventually.
There’s a brief pause.
“…That’s nice,” Lloyd says.
Cole carefully folds the letter and puts it in his pocket like it’s something important. No one teases him. Somehow, that makes it better.
Nya’s Are Practical (Mostly)
Nya’s letters are neatly addressed.
“Okay, I’ve got three asking for engineering advice,” she says. “One asking how to fix a broken boat. One asking how to fix their brother.”
She squints at the last one.
“And one that just says, ‘Please tell Jay to stop talking.’”
Jay gasps. “I am being silenced.”
“You’re being requested,” Nya says.
Zane Writes Back
Zane’s letters are polite. Excessively so.
“One individual apologizes for their handwriting,” he says. “Another hopes this letter finds me well and wishes me a pleasant week.”
Jay watches, horrified, as Zane pulls out a pen.
“Oh no,” Jay says. “You’re not—”
“I believe a response would be appropriate,” Zane says calmly.
Cole pats Jay’s shoulder. “We’ve lost him.”
Lloyd’s Turn (Unfortunately)
Lloyd has been very quiet.
Eventually, Jay notices.
“Green Machine,” Jay says, nudging him. “Your turn.”
Lloyd reluctantly picks up an envelope.
It is bright green.
Addressed to:
THE GREEN ONE (YOU KNOW WHO YOU ARE)
Kai immediately cranes his neck. “That’s you.”
“I know,” Lloyd mutters.
He opens it.
The letter inside is written in careful, uneven handwriting.
It thanks him for saving the city.
It says he’s brave.
It asks if he ever gets scared, and what he does when he is.
The room goes quiet.
Jay, of course, ruins it.
“WOW,” he says loudly. “YOU’RE, LIKE, A ROLE MODEL.”
Lloyd’s face turns red. “Jay.”
“I mean, that’s a lot of pressure,” Jay continues. “You’re basically inspiring the youth.”
Lloyd folds the letter carefully. He doesn’t say anything.
He just keeps it.
Things Get Out of Hand
They keep reading.
There’s fan art. (Jay wants to frame it. Nya says absolutely not.)
There’s a letter asking to join the ninja “starting tomorrow.”
There’s one addressed to Sensei Wu recommending tea blends.
There’s one clearly meant for a villain that says, Please stop destroying my house.
“I feel bad,” Cole says.
Kai shrugs. “Build a better house.”
Arguments break out.
Jay suggests a livestream response.
Nya suggests a filtering system.
Zane suggests categorizing by tone and intent.
Cole suggests snacks.
Lloyd suggests maybe they don’t read any more out loud.
No one listens.
Sensei Wu, Of Course
Wu appears in the doorway like he’s been there the whole time.
He looks at the box. The letters. The chaos.
“Ah,” he says serenely. “Fan mail.”
“You knew about this?” Lloyd asks.
Wu nods. “I receive it frequently.”
Jay stares. “You do?”
Wu lifts his sleeve. Letters fall out.
“I do not respond,” Wu continues. “But I keep the kind ones.”
He gently takes the box.
“Admiration,” he says, “is a burden. But also… a reminder.”
He leaves with the box.
After
The courtyard is quieter.
Lloyd sits on the steps, holding his letter.
Cole nudges him. “You okay?”
Lloyd nods. “Yeah. I think so.”
Jay flops down beside him. “For what it’s worth, I think you’re doing great.”
Lloyd smiles, small but real.
They don’t talk about the rest of the letters.
They don’t need to.