Soon enough, he and Izuku Midoriya would be classmates at U.A.
Getting acquainted early—and leaving a strong impression—was only natural.
Of course not because he wanted to plant ideas in Midoriya's still-forming worldview.
And definitely not because he wanted to stain him with his own color.
Of course… if the opportunity presented itself, Shigaraki wouldn't mind pulling Midoriya onto his side.
Imagine it—
Standing in the same trench as the protagonist of My Hero Academia.
Working alongside someone blessed with plot-level fortune to dismantle this distorted society.
With a "main character halo" at his side, completing missions would be far easier.
Still—
He wasn't overly confident about turning Midoriya toward "his current self."
After all, Shigaraki was publicly a Villain.
And Midoriya—despite his timid appearance—possessed the one trait required to become a true hero:
Courage.
More importantly, his desire to become a hero was unwavering.
It had been his dream since childhood.
A habit formed over twenty-one days becomes lasting.
A conviction held for over ten years?
That becomes instinct.
Obsession.
You don't uproot something like that with clever words.
Shigaraki knew he didn't have the eloquence to simply talk Midoriya out of becoming a hero.
But—
Just because Midoriya couldn't easily join the Villains didn't mean Shigaraki couldn't approach him from the "hero" side.
After all, he had another identity.
Shigaraki's true name—
Shimura Tenko.
Grandson of Nana Shimura, the Seventh wielder of One For All.
All Might's master.
Given All Might's reverence for Nana, if Tenko revealed himself—
Even if he had no Quirk…
Even if he were ordinary…
All Might would move heaven and earth for him.
If Tenko demanded to inherit One For All?
All Might would likely agree without hesitation.
It was Nana's power.
And he was her only surviving blood relative.
But—
Despite needing to become a Pro Hero to complete the system's main quest, Shigaraki had no intention of abandoning his Villain identity.
Nor did he plan to reunite with All Might now.
Nor accept OFA.
There were reasons.
First—
Being a Villain was far freer.
Pro Heroes were bound by regulations, politics, public image.
Villains?
All was permitted.
If not for the system's requirements—and the convenience of temporarily distancing himself from All For One while gaining an additional disguise—he wouldn't bother attending U.A. at all.
School consumed time.
Time was precious.
Second—
He was late.
All Might had already chosen Midoriya.
The formal transfer of One For All hadn't happened yet.
But the successor training had begun.
Shigaraki could interfere.
He could steal that opportunity.
But he wouldn't.
For two reasons.
One—
He didn't dislike Midoriya.
And he didn't want to rob a Quirkless boy of the one chance he had to become a hero.
Two—
He was publicly All For One's chosen successor.
If All For One discovered that he'd gone to inherit One For All—
Would he tolerate it?
Maybe.
Maybe he'd be curious what would happen if both powers coexisted in one body.
But betting his life on that curiosity?
Unwise.
And if he reunited with All Might now, he'd inevitably be pulled into OFA's legacy.
Responsibility.
Sacrifice.
Peace before self.
All Might would never allow Nana Shimura's grandson to become a Villain.
And Shigaraki had no interest in becoming a self-sacrificing martyr.
That lifestyle was exhausting.
And short-lived.
Third—
Few people qualified as worthy opponents.
Midoriya was one of them.
But without One For All—
Would he still become the "Deku" of legend?
Unlikely.
And a world without that hero?
Boring.
So in the end—
Shigaraki decided not to interfere with OFA.
For now.
But that didn't mean he would do nothing.
If possible—
He would try to pull Midoriya toward him.
His stage extended beyond this world.
He wanted companions who could grow alongside him.
Because standing alone at the summit—
With no one to share the view—
Was unbearably lonely.
That was the true reason for this "chance encounter."
Midoriya had potential.
The makings of a true hero.
Perhaps—
A different kind of hero.
And maybe, just maybe—
Shigaraki could reshape his understanding of what a hero truly meant.
Of course, he knew words alone wouldn't shatter Midoriya's faith in Pro Heroes.
To Midoriya, he was still a stranger.
And strangers could never outweigh All Might.
So the plan was simple.
Become his friend.
Earn trust.
Shift perspectives slowly.
Then one day—
Replace All Might.
As an idol.
As a pillar.
As a belief.
Today—
Was the first step.
—
"…It's not very nice to say that about heroes," Midoriya said gently.
"Hehe, just kidding. Don't take it seriously," Shigaraki replied easily.
Midoriya smiled awkwardly.
He wasn't offended.
For one, Shigaraki had framed it as a joke.
And more importantly—
There was warmth in his words.
On that day during the Sludge Villain incident—
When Midoriya ran into the flames to save Bakugo—
No one praised him.
The Pro Heroes had scolded him.
"You went too far!"
"That was reckless!"
Meanwhile—
Bakugo, whose explosion had caused massive destruction—
Was praised.
"Such a strong Quirk!"
"Come intern at my agency!"
The one who saved someone was criticized.
The one who caused the disaster was admired.
Because his Quirk was powerful.
Unfair.
Midoriya rarely complained.
But it had hurt.
And now—
Someone had acknowledged his courage.
That alone was enough to brighten him.
Seeing that expression—
Shigaraki decided it was time to add a little more fuel.
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