"What an interesting boy."
The questioning didn't last much longer.
In less than ten minutes, Shigaraki had managed to convince Kamui Woods, one of the rising Pro Heroes of the new generation.
As for the middle-aged officer—
he still wanted to press the issue and make trouble for him.
Unfortunately, Kamui Woods had already accepted Shigaraki's explanation.
Strictly speaking, Shigaraki never admitted that he had used his Quirk in public.
Instead, he spun out a vague but surprisingly convincing line of reasoning.
It wasn't flawless.
There were holes in it.
Plenty of them, if someone really wanted to dig.
But it had just enough plausibility to work.
If a report like that were submitted upward, the higher-ups would most likely pretend not to notice the inconsistencies.
After all, the incident could be broadly framed as a combination of self-defense and intervening to save others.
And in this society, even if someone used their Quirk during an act of 'righteous bravery,' it usually didn't escalate into criminal liability.
At most, they received symbolic punishment.
A formal reprimand.
A disciplinary notice.
Or, in more serious cases, expulsion from school.
Kamui Woods weighed all of that in his mind… then quietly nodded to himself.
Yes.
He would accept it.
The explanation had gaps, but that hardly mattered anymore.
What had truly impressed him was something else:
Shigaraki's calmness.
His intelligence.
His courage.
The boy could have run.
He could have protected himself and left the danger to others.
Instead, he stood his ground and confronted a villain.
And not only that—
despite being a complete stranger to the criminal, he had grasped the nature of the man's Quirk at a glance, deduced its flaw, and exploited it decisively.
That kind of judgment…
That kind of analytical ability…
It was rare.
Exceptionally rare.
In fact, people like this were exactly the sort of talent hero agencies needed most—
the kind who could stay behind the front lines and direct the flow of battle.
The strategists.
The planners.
The brains behind the heroes.
Even All Might, the Number One Hero and Symbol of Peace, had once had a brilliant tactician at his side.
And the boy named Shimura Tenko clearly had the makings of that kind of person.
Kamui Woods' agency needed talent like that.
At that thought, he turned to the silent officer beside him and lowered his voice.
"Has his guardian arrived yet?"
He paused.
"There's something I'd like to discuss with them privately."
The officer, who had been holding his temper in for quite some time, turned and gave him a cold look.
"He doesn't have one."
His voice was flat.
"His parents are deceased."
That answer caught Kamui Woods off guard.
For a brief moment, genuine surprise flickered across his face.
Then, without hesitation, he turned back to Shigaraki.
"I'm sorry," he said sincerely. "I didn't know about your parents."
He clearly didn't want his careless question to touch some hidden wound.
But Shigaraki only waved it off with complete indifference.
"It's fine."
He leaned lazily back in his chair.
"You don't need to apologize."
A faint smile tugged at the corner of his mouth.
"You weren't the one who killed them."
For a moment, Kamui Woods didn't know how to respond.
Meanwhile, Shigaraki was quietly studying him.
Truthfully, his impression of Kamui Woods was rather good.
Compared to the officer beside him, this new-generation hero was much more reasonable.
Much easier to talk to.
More importantly—
Shigaraki felt that someone like Kamui Woods had potential.
Potential to become an ally.
Potential to help build a new social order.
And for that reason, he decided to give the man a lesson.
Or rather—
plant a few ideas in his head.
"If you really feel bad about it," Shigaraki said calmly, "then listen carefully to what I'm about to say."
The middle-aged officer's brow furrowed instantly.
For some reason, a bad feeling rose in his chest.
A very bad feeling.
And then—
Shigaraki began.
"The truth is, at the scene earlier, there were plenty of people more suited than me to stop that shark-head."
His voice was calm at first.
Measured.
"For example, there were people with Quirks that could soften the ground."
"People who could manipulate gravity."
He lifted his eyes slightly.
"Abilities like those were not only useful…"
"They directly countered that villain."
He paused.
"And yet not one of them even considered fighting."
"Not one of them even considered the possibility that they could beat him."
"They saw danger…"
"And immediately chose to run."
His tone sharpened ever so slightly.
"Even though that shark-head had already become pitifully weak from cerebral hypoxia."
No one interrupted him.
Not even the officer.
Because the air in the room had changed.
Shigaraki's voice rose, carrying more force now.
"Everyone keeps saying the same thing."
'The heroes will handle it.'
'A hero will come.'
He gave a soft, contemptuous laugh.
"People repeat those words so often that they stop thinking."
"They've turned dependence into instinct."
"They watch tragedy unfold right beside them…"
"And pretend it has nothing to do with them."
"No one dares step up in place of a hero."
"No one dares take responsibility."
"They only know how to rely."
The room fell silent.
Heavy.
Oppressive.
Then Shigaraki's gaze hardened.
"But who understands this?"
"Heroes are not omnipotent."
He spoke each word clearly.
"Even heroes cannot arrive in time every single time."
That sentence struck the room like a hammer.
Kamui Woods' expression changed slightly.
The officer's face darkened further.
But Shigaraki went on.
His voice grew stronger, more intense.
"The reason I was willing to risk punishment and stop that man wasn't only because he blocked my path."
His eyes were steady now.
Steady enough to make the room feel strangely smaller.
"It was also because I hope that one day…"
"When my family…"
"When my friends…"
"When the people important to me are in danger…"
He paused.
And for the first time, there was something almost luminous in his gaze.
"I hope someone just as brave will step forward."
"Someone willing to be condemned for doing the right thing."
"Someone willing to risk punishment."
"Someone willing to break the rules…"
His voice dropped lower.
But it carried even more weight.
"…and become my hero."
The final words landed softly.
Yet no one in the room could ignore them.
For several seconds, the interrogation room remained completely still.
Kamui Woods stared at the blue-haired boy through the glass, his expression unreadable.
The officer at his side said nothing either.
Because whether they agreed or not—
they could both feel it.
Those words had not been spoken casually.
They had been spoken from conviction.
That was what made it unsettling.
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