Not because I'm strong… but because the enemy was weak?
For a moment, both the graying middle-aged officer and the Pro Hero Kamui Woods froze.
They genuinely wondered if they had misheard him.
Weak?
That shark-headed Villain—who could grow to the size of a building and had destroyed four entire blocks in under ten minutes—
was weak?
From a purely destructive standpoint, that man's Quirk was easily top-tier.
So what exactly was this boy thinking?
And yet—
Shigaraki's tone was so matter-of-fact…
His expression so calm…
That despite themselves, both men began to hesitate.
Because of the way he said it—
it made it sound real.
As if that so-called "dangerous criminal" had truly been nothing more than meat on a cutting board in front of him.
As if—
he really hadn't needed to use his Quirk at all.
Noticing the shift in their eyes, Shigaraki let out a faint chuckle.
He casually picked up the teacup beside him, took a slow sip, and spoke again.
"That shark-head's Quirk… was Gigantification, right?"
He tilted his head slightly.
"…No. More accurately, it wasn't just simple enlargement."
"As his body expanded, his entire structure would have adapted along with it."
"Bigger frame. Denser muscles. Stronger bones. More durable joints…"
He set the cup down lightly.
"But we all know something."
"There's no such thing as a perfect Quirk."
"So his must have had flaws too."
The officer let out a cold snort and said nothing.
At this point, his opinion of Shigaraki had already sunk to rock bottom.
From his perspective—
this kid had illegally used his Quirk in public,
mocked him repeatedly,
and was now sitting there casually lecturing them like he knew everything.
If not for Kamui Woods standing right there, forcing him to maintain some level of professionalism,
he would have already snapped.
In his mind, this entire situation was ridiculous.
The civilians had already been evacuated.
The Villain, while destructive, was no longer an immediate threat to human life.
All they had needed to do—
was wait.
Wait for a licensed Pro Hero to arrive.
That was the system.
That was the order society relied on.
So why had this boy stepped in?
Why take the risk?
Why break the law?
The answer, in his eyes, was simple.
Showing off.
Nothing more.
Just another self-righteous kid, playing hero without understanding the consequences.
The same type as those so-called "unlicensed heroes"—
people who climbed onto moral high ground just to satisfy their own need for attention.
In the end, they weren't that different from criminals.
Because they acted for themselves.
For their own satisfaction.
That thought only deepened the officer's dislike.
What he didn't know—
was that Shigaraki felt exactly the same way about him.
No—
worse.
If not for the fact that he was currently inside a police station…
If not for the fact that he was still using the identity of Shimura Tenko, which had future value—
Shigaraki would have already killed this man.
Quietly.
Efficiently.
Perhaps not here.
But later.
Somewhere private.
On the way home.
Of course—
even if he couldn't kill him now,
that didn't mean he would let him off easily.
Which was exactly why he had been toying with him from the start.
As for why he disliked the officer so much—
the reason was simple.
Sometimes—
compared to enemies,
traitors were far more disgusting.
Far more deserving of death.
And in Shigaraki's eyes—
this man was one of them.
Not because he had betrayed Shigaraki himself.
But because he had betrayed someone else.
Someone Shigaraki knew.
Someone who treated him well.
…his teacher.
—
On the other side of the room, unlike the officer's growing irritation, Kamui Woods had been listening seriously.
And now—
interest flickered in his eyes.
"Oh?"
"You're saying you identified a flaw in his Quirk?"
Shigaraki shook his head lightly.
"Not exactly."
"Just a guess."
"A guess?"
Kamui Woods leaned forward slightly.
"What kind of guess?"
Shigaraki answered without hesitation.
"I think his heart wasn't strong enough."
The room went quiet again.
He continued calmly.
"Sure, its pumping power was already far beyond that of a normal human."
"But to sustain a body the size of a two-story building—"
"To keep that brain functioning normally…"
He gave a faint, almost mocking smile.
"That level of output isn't enough."
"Even a child knows that the brain consumes the most energy in the body."
Kamui Woods' expression turned thoughtful.
"So you believe…"
"That after activating his Quirk, his enlarged brain didn't enhance his thinking—"
"But instead became a burden?"
Shigaraki nodded slightly.
"Exactly."
"That's my assumption."
"And the result proved I was right."
He leaned back in his chair, relaxed.
"Insufficient blood flow. Oxygen deprivation."
"That's why he became so agitated."
"So reckless."
"So obvious in his movements."
He tapped the table lightly with his finger.
"From the outside, he looked powerful."
"Terrifying."
"But in reality—"
"he was extremely fragile."
A brief pause.
"I just dodged for a while."
"And he lost his balance on his own."
Shigaraki picked up his teacup again and drained the last of it.
Then, in a calm, almost indifferent tone, he concluded—
"For something that big, there's always a limit."
"No matter how strong the muscles are."
"No matter how durable the bones are."
"No matter how stable the joints are."
He set the cup down with a soft click.
"Once it falls…"
"It doesn't get back up easily."
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