With a helpless sigh, Shigaraki casually swallowed the last bite of food in his hand.
Then he released the hand he had been holding.
Toga blinked as his fingers slipped away.
Shigaraki stepped forward.
He had decided to put an end to this farce.
Of course, it wasn't because of any noble sense of justice.
Nothing so heroic.
The real reason was far simpler.
The shark-headed villain had ruined his mood.
Ruined his morning walk.
And worst of all—
blocked his path.
And whenever someone ruined Shigaraki's mood, he only had one way of dealing with them.
Make them feel even worse.
He rolled his shoulders lazily.
"Himiko."
"Find somewhere safe and hide for a bit."
"I'll go deal with the big guy."
Toga froze slightly when she heard that.
"…Tenko?"
Her golden eyes flickered with hesitation.
"Wouldn't it be better to leave something like this to the professional heroes?"
"If you get involved… wouldn't that be a problem?"
Truthfully, she wasn't worried about his strength.
After seeing him beat Steel Boy half to death the previous night, her confidence in Shigaraki's ability had skyrocketed.
In her mind, the shark-headed villain was just bigger.
Nothing more.
For Shigaraki, someone like that wasn't even worth mentioning.
What she worried about was something else entirely.
The law.
In this society, using your Quirk in public without a Hero License was illegal.
People without licenses were forbidden from using their Quirks for combat.
Even if the opponent was a criminal.
Breaking that rule could result in punishment.
At best—disciplinary action.
At worst—detention.
And in serious cases…
prison.
She definitely didn't want Shigaraki to be dragged into a police station for "vigilante behavior."
Not after everything.
Not after they had just become friends.
Shigaraki glanced sideways at her.
Seeing the worry in her eyes, he understood immediately what she was thinking.
He chuckled softly.
Then he reached out and lightly patted her shoulder.
"Relax."
"Nothing's going to happen."
"…Really?"
She still looked uncertain.
But the moment she saw the relaxed confidence on his face—
the kind of calm expression that made it seem like nothing in the world could trouble him—
her anxiety faded slightly.
Shigaraki grinned.
"Don't forget."
"I killed that muscle idiot right in front of All Might."
"And nothing happened."
Toga paused.
Right.
He had.
He had killed Steel Boy in front of the Number One Hero.
And even then—
nothing had happened to him.
If that was the case…
stopping a villain here should also be fine.
After a moment, she finally nodded.
"…Alright."
"Just be careful, Tenko."
"Yeah."
Shigaraki waved dismissively.
Then he waited until she had moved toward a safer spot near the side of the street.
Only after confirming she was out of danger did he turn his attention forward.
His gaze locked onto the monstrous figure in the distance.
The shark-headed villain, still swinging the utility pole around wildly.
But Shigaraki didn't move.
He simply stood there.
Waiting.
Waiting for the villain to attack first.
Because even something like self-defense had conditions.
If he attacked first, the legal situation would change.
And Shigaraki wasn't stupid enough to hand the police an excuse to throw him in jail.
Across the street—
the shark-headed monster finally noticed him.
The creature grinned.
A thick, almost tangible malice oozed from his eyes.
For some reason…
the moment he saw the blue-haired boy standing calmly in the middle of the road—
he felt an overwhelming urge to crush him.
To snap that thin neck.
To grind those fragile bones into powder.
To smash that handsome face into the pavement.
Driven by that ugly impulse, the monster began walking toward Shigaraki.
Slowly.
He wanted to break this arrogant little brat.
The moment he reached him, the villain bent down.
His massive jaws opened wide.
The huge shark mouth hovered above Shigaraki's head, as if preparing to swallow him whole.
But he wasn't planning to eat him yet.
No.
That would be boring.
Much better to terrify the prey first.
Break their spirit.
Watch them collapse in despair.
Then devour them.
That would be fun.
The shark-headed villain grinned viciously.
"Kid."
"Why aren't you running?"
His voice was rough and cruel.
"What are you waiting for?"
"Don't tell me…"
"You actually think a hero is going to show up?"
He laughed loudly.
"You should give up already."
"If they were coming, they'd be here by now."
"So why hasn't a single hero arrived yet?"
But the reaction he expected never came.
Shigaraki didn't panic.
Didn't scream.
Didn't tremble.
Instead—
he looked at the villain calmly.
Then spoke in a flat, almost bored tone.
"Hey."
"Big guy."
"Move a little to the side."
"You're blocking my way."
…
For a moment—
the shark-headed villain thought he had misheard.
Blocking his way?
This brat…
This stupid little brat…
Even with his mind already clouded by madness, the villain could easily recognize the meaning behind those words.
Disdain.
Indifference.
The boy hadn't taken him seriously at all.
To the villain—
that was the greatest humiliation possible.
In his mind, Shigaraki was nothing but prey.
A weak human he could crush whenever he wanted.
So how dare this insignificant creature look down on him?!
Rage exploded inside him.
"YOU LITTLE SHIT!"
The monster roared.
His enormous right arm lifted into the air.
"I'LL KILL YOU!"
The massive fist descended like a falling boulder.
But Shigaraki didn't move.
He simply raised his head and watched the giant fist rushing toward him.
His expression remained calm.
Completely unshaken.
There was only one emotion in his eyes.
Cold pity.
Because the moment the shark-headed villain chose to attack him—
the outcome had already been decided.
Shigaraki spoke quietly.
"Trying to kill me?"
"Are you sure…"
"…that's really what you want to do?"
His gaze was calm.
Almost indifferent.
"After all…"
"Even heroes can't always arrive in time."
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