Where was the "Butcher"?
The answer wasn't actually that hard to find.
There's an old saying—every rat has its holes.
The same principle applied in this superhuman society.
Beyond the districts patrolled daily by Pro Heroes, there existed grey zones—areas where Villains gathered freely.
In these places, information flowed just as quickly as it did among Heroes.
Just as the news broadcast which famous Pro Hero had saved the day—
Villains kept close tabs on one another.
If nothing else, they needed to know who was strong… so they wouldn't make the mistake of crossing the wrong person.
The intelligence Shigaraki Tomura had previously gathered about the Butcher had originated from this very underworld network—though it hadn't included his exact whereabouts.
Even the successful hunt of the robber earlier had been thanks to information sourced here.
So if he wanted to track the Butcher quickly—
There was only one place to go.
Normally, gathering intelligence would be Kurogiri's job. Or perhaps the Sludge Villain's.
Unfortunately, Kurogiri was swamped.
Ever since Shigaraki's public speech, Villains inspired—or manipulated—by his words had begun seeking them out.
Kurogiri had to screen them.
Recruit selectively.
Filter out the useless.
On top of that, he was training the Sludge Villain, whose current combat ability still lagged far behind Shigaraki's expectations.
The workload had piled up to the point where Kurogiri could barely tell day from night.
So this time—
Shigaraki handled it himself.
Fortunately, it didn't take long.
He found the Butcher's trail through two… "kind-hearted citizens."
One tall and skinny.
The other short and pudgy.
Both habitual thieves.
Ironically, Shigaraki hadn't approached them to ask about the Butcher.
They approached him first—trying to pickpocket him.
He hadn't bothered turning them over to the police.
For several reasons.
First—small-time thieves like them often had excellent street intel. Burning that bridge completely would be inefficient.
Second—in a world overflowing with Villains to the point where prisons were perpetually overcrowded, petty theft barely registered.
Even if he handed them over, they'd likely receive a week of labor reform before being released.
What were they going to do? Execute every pickpocket?
If petty theft carried capital punishment, half the population would be dead.
Of course—
The real reason was simpler.
When he caught them, he made sure they understood the consequences.
A lesson significantly harsher than anything prison would offer.
At first, they had denied it.
Even insulted him.
Shigaraki's temper wasn't exactly forgiving.
So he demonstrated, personally, that lying to him was a bad idea.
After that—
They answered every question obediently.
Extremely cooperative.
As for how he learned about the Butcher's location from them—
That was accidental.
After finishing his "lesson," Shigaraki had been preparing to leave and consult a higher-level informant in the district.
But on a whim, he casually asked if they knew anything about the Butcher.
To his surprise—
They did.
Apparently, they had once unknowingly stolen something that belonged to the Butcher.
Once they realized whose property it was, they panicked.
Even among Villains, a cannibalistic serial killer was rare.
They had no intention of confessing directly.
They weren't suicidal.
Did they really think a man who swallowed people whole would forgive them for theft?
No.
Instead, they obsessively tracked his movements.
Monitoring him.
Avoiding his territory.
Because when your life depends on it—
You become very diligent.
As a result, they had amassed near first-hand data on the Butcher's routines.
Shigaraki left satisfied.
He tossed them a stack of cash as payment for the intelligence.
Then walked away without another word.
Behind him—
The two petty thieves stared at the money in disbelief—
Before breaking into ecstatic celebration.
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