"Black Mist, who on that list is closest to us right now?"
After dealing with the middle-aged officer, Shigaraki took the handkerchief Black Mist handed him and wiped his fingers as if he had only touched something dirty.
Originally, after accepting Akaya Kaiun as his student and sending her home, he had planned to go back and sleep.
Then he ran into Black Mist, who was about to head out.
That was when he learned something interesting.
Black Mist had been busy these past few days because he was handling a traitor. Someone had colluded with outsiders and tried to sell them out.
As for why he was heading out so late tonight, that was because he had obtained a list from that traitor.
A list of everyone involved.
Black Mist intended to visit them one by one, have a little conversation, and find out exactly how much they knew.
Out of curiosity, Shigaraki had asked to see the list.
And then he smiled.
Because on that list was the same middle-aged officer who had been looking down on him all day.
At that point, sleep no longer mattered.
He immediately dragged Black Mist along.
After all, he also wanted to contribute to Sensei's cause.
Definitely not to settle a personal grudge.
Black Mist glanced at him, speechless.
You killed him without asking a single question.
Was this really helping?
Still, he said nothing.
He was used to Shigaraki's temper by now.
Besides, it was only a police officer.
More importantly, that officer had betrayed All For One in the past. Even if Shigaraki hadn't killed him, Black Mist would have done it himself.
The only difference was that Black Mist would have extracted information first.
Not killed him first and skipped the questions entirely.
With a quiet sigh, Black Mist pulled out the document and checked the names.
"There are two nearby," he said.
"One is Touyama Makoto. His Quirk allows him to turn his right hand into a copper pot. He currently works as a chef."
"The other is Kihana Kiyoko."
He paused.
"Her Quirk allows flowers to bloom from wood."
"Though now, she goes by Inoue Kiyoko."
Black Mist's voice lowered slightly.
"She is the wife of the man you just killed."
"They were both involved in betraying our master. However, Master has been generous enough to leave them alone all these years."
Shigaraki raised an eyebrow.
"A married couple, both traitors?"
A faint smirk appeared on his face.
"Well, birds of a feather really do flock together."
He gave it barely a second of thought.
"Let's go with her."
"Since they were so close in life…"
"we might as well reunite them in death."
He sounded almost considerate.
"Wouldn't want him getting lonely on the road to the underworld."
"…Understood, Shigaraki."
Black Mist nodded.
A moment later, his body dissolved into a dark vortex and swallowed Shigaraki whole.
West N City.
A quiet residential district near the mountains.
Inside a modest house, a well-kept middle-aged woman crouched beside a coal stove and added more fuel.
Once she was done, she struck a match.
The flame caught.
A soft orange glow spread through the room.
She sat beside the stove and watched the fire lick at the metal grate, lost in thought.
It was late.
Much too late for someone like her to still be awake.
Normally, she would have gone to bed hours ago.
But tonight, something felt wrong.
There was a weight in her chest that wouldn't go away. A quiet anxiety, dull at first, then sharper every time she thought about her husband.
He still wasn't home.
And that made the unease worse.
"Meow."
A cat cried somewhere outside.
At the same time, the kettle on the stove began to whistle.
Steam rose into the air, carrying the faint fragrance of tea.
But mixed into that scent was something else.
Something strange.
Something like burnt feathers.
Kiyoko frowned.
She stood, picked up the metal poker beside the stove, and stirred the coal, trying to find the source of the smell.
Then a voice spoke from behind her.
"Nice to meet you, Kihana Kiyoko."
Soft.
Calm.
Almost polite.
"Or should I call you Mrs. Inoue now?"
Kiyoko froze.
A dark purple mist spread silently through the room.
From within it, a pair of gloved hands emerged.
White.
Clean.
Almost elegant.
They lifted the kettle from the stove, poured the tea into a glass cup, and placed it neatly on the table beside her.
As if this were nothing more than an ordinary visit.
Kiyoko's body went cold.
Her mouth opened, but no sound came out.
Fear tightened around her throat.
Her heart.
Her bones.
It spread through her body until even her fingers felt numb.
This wasn't a Quirk.
It was memory.
A fear buried for years, clawing its way back to the surface.
She had lived quietly for so long.
She rarely left this house.
Never made enemies.
Never drew attention.
To the outside world, she was just an ordinary housewife.
Harmless.
Invisible.
And yet the person in front of her knew her.
Knew her old name.
The name she had abandoned years ago.
The name she had prayed no one would ever speak again.
Which meant there was only one possibility.
He had returned.
The man who once stood above everyone.
The ruler in the shadows.
The one they had called...
The Dominator.
He was back.
And he had come for revenge.
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