"Hahaha…"
Seeing Shigaraki's stunned reaction, Himiko Toga didn't look hurt in the slightest.
Instead, she burst into laughter.
She covered her mouth with one hand, her shoulders trembling slightly as if she had just successfully pulled off a prank.
"No, no, Shimura-kun," she said between soft giggles.
"That's not what I meant."
She blinked her bright golden eyes, her tone light and playful.
"What I meant was…"
Her smile softened slightly.
"…can we be friends?"
"…Friends?"
Shigaraki stared at her.
For a moment, the corner of his mouth twitched.
So that was what she meant.
If that was the case, why phrase it in such an ambiguous way?
Just say it directly.
It wasn't like asking to be friends was embarrassing or anything.
The way she had said it earlier made it sound like she was trying to pick him up.
He had almost been thrown off for a second.
"Yeah!"
Toga nodded energetically.
"Friends!"
"I really want to be friends with you, Shimura-kun."
Then she leaned forward slightly, looking at him with sparkling anticipation.
"So… will you be my friend?"
Her expression was completely open.
Her golden eyes were filled with hope and excitement.
It didn't look like she was joking.
Those words were clearly sincere.
Seeing that reaction, Shigaraki frowned slightly.
So she actually meant it?
She genuinely wanted to be friends with him?
What exactly was going on inside this girl's head?
Wait.
A thought suddenly crossed his mind.
Could it be…
She planned to become friends first…
Then slowly get close to him…
And eventually drink his blood?
After all, based on the original story, Himiko Toga's personality was definitely capable of something like that.
The more he thought about it, the more plausible it sounded.
Shigaraki's eyes drifted back to her face, carefully observing her expression.
He tried to read her true intentions.
But it was useless.
The bright smile on Toga's face remained flawless.
Just as perfect as it had been from the beginning.
Her appearance was charming.
Her features delicate.
Her demeanor graceful and polite.
Her personality lively and cheerful.
With qualities like those, she was probably the kind of girl who naturally became the center of attention among people her age.
Someone surrounded by admiration and praise.
Someone whose requests were rarely refused.
After all—
Beautiful girls often had privileges others didn't.
But Shigaraki wasn't fooled.
He knew that this was only one layer of Toga's personality.
Girls raised in families like hers were often trained to behave this way.
Her posture, her speech, the quiet elegance hidden beneath her cheerful attitude—all of it hinted at a refined upbringing.
Even the perfectly maintained smile on her face felt practiced.
Yet even knowing that, Shigaraki couldn't figure out her true motive.
He simply didn't have enough information.
After thinking about it for a moment, his gaze unconsciously shifted toward the table.
The food.
The steak.
The lobster.
The sashimi.
A very important realization followed.
…Honestly.
Did it even matter?
If she had some kind of scheme, then so be it.
As long as it didn't interfere with his ability to eat good food, everything else was negotiable.
Because in this world—
There was one truth that stood above everything else.
Delicious food must never be betrayed.
Besides, even if she really had some plan, what could she actually do?
In front of overwhelming strength, most schemes were meaningless.
And right now—
Toga definitely couldn't beat him.
After reaching that extremely reasonable conclusion, Shigaraki nodded casually.
"Sure."
"No problem."
The answer came easily.
The moment he said it, Toga's face lit up with genuine delight.
"Really?!"
She clapped her hands happily.
"That's great!"
Her excitement didn't seem fake at all.
"Then Shimura-kun…"
She smiled warmly.
"…please take care of me from now on!"
Shigaraki nodded while cutting another piece of steak.
"Yeah."
"Same here."
He swallowed the food before adding politely:
"Nice to meet you, Miss Toga."
Toga immediately shook her head.
"No, no."
"You don't need to be so formal."
Her eyes curved into cheerful crescents.
"You can just call me Himiko."
Then she tilted her head slightly.
"Oh! And can I call you Tenko?"
Shigaraki barely looked up from his plate as he shoved another bite of golden-brown steak into his mouth.
"Do whatever you want."
His voice was casual.
Indifferent.
To him, it really didn't matter what she called him.
Shimura-kun.
Tenko.
Anything.
Names were just labels.
Nothing more.
But what Shigaraki didn't realize was—
For Himiko Toga…
Changing the way she addressed someone carried a very different meaning.
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