Time passed quietly.
Half a month had gone by since Shigaraki dealt with the Inoue couple.
During those two weeks, his life had become strangely busy.
By day, he moved between four places: school, the bar, Himiko Toga's house, and Akaya Kaiun's home.
Kaiun was his student now. More importantly, she was tied to a system mission, so he couldn't just toss her aside and leave her to figure things out on her own.
Thankfully, she wasn't useless.
After half a month of training, her physical fitness and basic combat skills had improved by a ridiculous amount. Compared to the girl he had first met, she was already several times stronger.
For that alone, Shigaraki was fairly satisfied with his little disciple.
Outside of classes, freeloading meals at Toga's place, training Kaiun, and returning to the bar, he also found time now and then to meet Izuku Midoriya and Hitoshi Shinso.
Nothing serious.
Just chatting.
Maintaining friendships.
As for nighttime, he occasionally went out for a little "righteous intervention" and picked up some Evolution Points along the way.
Overall, the past two weeks had been surprisingly fulfilling.
Of course, after eliminating the Inoue couple, he had paid some attention to the aftermath.
He still wasn't sure whether the police would notice anything suspicious.
Fortunately, the official conclusion was convenient enough.
Mrs. Inoue, a full-time housewife, had mishandled the charcoal fire while brewing tea in the courtyard. The flames spread through the property, killing both her and her sleeping husband.
A neat little ending.
Very considerate of them.
"Tenko."
Just as Shigaraki finished packing his schoolbag, a familiar voice called from the classroom door.
He looked up.
As expected, Himiko Toga stood there with her bag in hand, smiling brightly.
"Oh, Himiko. You're here."
By now, Shigaraki had more or less gotten used to her presence.
Having one more friend wasn't bad.
Especially when that friend was pretty, rich, and good at cooking.
Of course, he would have appreciated her even more if he didn't occasionally find tiny trackers hidden in his clothes, wake up to see her sitting beside his bed after entering with a homemade duplicate key, or notice suspicious camera flashes from odd corners.
But nobody was perfect.
"Himiko."
On the way home, Shigaraki bit down on the lollipop that had appeared in his desk that morning, right next to yet another love letter.
His tone was casual.
"After a while, I probably won't stay at Kanzaki anymore."
Thunk.
A schoolbag slipped from someone's hand and hit the ground.
Books spilled everywhere.
"W-w-what?"
Himiko spun around so fast she nearly tripped.
She didn't even look at the bag.
Her eyes locked onto him, wide with panic.
"Tenko… you're leaving?"
Shigaraki nodded.
"Yeah."
Then, as if he were talking about trying a new restaurant, he added, "I'm thinking of taking the exam and getting a hero license for fun."
He said it so lightly that it sounded like a hero license was no more serious than a driver's permit.
"…A hero."
Himiko lowered her head.
The light in her eyes dimmed.
She didn't doubt that Shigaraki could become one.
That much was obvious.
Their first meeting had started with him saving her life. From the beginning, she knew he was strong.
And over the past two weeks, that strength had only become clearer.
So she wasn't worried about whether he could pass.
What scared her was what came after.
If he wanted a hero license, he would eventually have to leave Kanzaki.
Kanzaki Academy did have a high school division, but it was for ordinary students.
Anyone aiming to become a licensed hero had to go to a specialized school like U.A. High or Shiketsu.
Which meant they would be separated.
The moment that thought settled in, something sour and empty spread through her chest.
She had always known there was a gap between them.
Tenko was different.
He was never meant to stay in a place like Kanzaki forever.
He was someone who would keep climbing, higher and higher, until one day he reached a world ordinary people couldn't touch.
And she was still standing on the ground.
Still pretending to be normal.
Still trapped inside the life prepared for her.
Even so, she hadn't expected that day to come so soon.
Too soon.
Was he really going to leave her behind and become a hero?
That word made the bitterness worse.
When she was younger, she had once imagined becoming someone special too.
But reality had taught her better.
Because of her Quirk, she had grown up under strange looks from classmates, strangers, and even her own parents.
To live like a normal girl, Himiko had worked desperately hard.
She learned etiquette.
Practiced smiles.
Memorized gestures.
Controlled every expression, every movement, every word.
Eventually, she became the perfect "normal rich girl."
Popular.
Elegant.
A campus idol.
Even though she had never wanted any of it.
And even after all that, the woman she called mother and the father she barely saw still treated her like air.
If they met at home, they barely spoke.
When she was younger, she hadn't understood why.
Now she did.
Her parents' marriage was political.
And her purpose was simple.
She existed to maintain appearances.
To make sure relatives and outsiders would never whisper that their daughter was a monster.
So she had to be proper.
She had to be normal.
That was all.
From the beginning, she had never been allowed to have a real dream.
Her life had been built inside a beautiful lie.
These past few days had been different.
Because Tenko was here.
Because of him, she had moments where she didn't need to force the perfect smile.
Moments where she could laugh for real.
But that happiness was about to become a memory.
Not her future.
Still, she wouldn't stop him.
If you truly liked someone, then shouldn't you want them to live well?
So Himiko quietly took a breath and forced the sadness down.
When she lifted her head again, she was smiling.
Brightly.
Too brightly.
"Then… I know you'll become a great hero, Tenko."
She kept smiling.
"I guess that makes me your very first fan."
Then she bent down, picked up her bag, and gave a soft laugh.
"Come on. While you're still not famous, hurry and give me an autograph."
"That way, when you become a great hero, I can brag that you used to be my friend."
Shigaraki rolled his eyes.
"What's with that 'used to be' nonsense?"
He reached out and flicked her forehead.
"Why are you talking like we'll never see each other again?"
"And I said after a while. Not right now."
Then he sighed, sounding a little helpless.
"Even if I transfer somewhere else, that doesn't mean our relationship changes."
He tapped the tip of her nose with one finger.
"Little idiot. As long as I'm alive, you're not getting rid of me in this lifetime."
Himiko froze.
The casual intimacy of the gesture.
The words.
The certainty in his voice.
For a second, she couldn't react at all.
Then she nodded hard.
"Mm!"
This time, the smile that bloomed on her face was real.
And just like that, the heaviness in her chest eased.
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