The problem was simple.
There was no evidence.
Not a single piece.
Because of that, even though Tsukauchi Naomasa had suspected Shigaraki almost from the start, he never acted on it.
Part of the reason was All Might.
Not long ago, All Might had said to him, with a complicated look on his face, "That boy isn't a bad person."
Tsukauchi trusted him.
At the very least, he didn't want to trample that trust without reason.
So even though he had been meaning to sit down and have a serious talk with the Symbol of Peace, he held back.
Until today.
When he ran into All Might near N City while the man was chasing a criminal, he didn't hesitate.
He dragged him straight to the station.
No courtesy.
No small talk.
Just straight to the point.
Meanwhile, All Might finished reading the report in his hands.
And almost instantly, a certain blue-haired boy came to mind.
Shimura Tenko.
The moment that thought settled, a dull ache spread through his chest.
Because he knew.
This was exactly the kind of thing that boy would do.
That troublesome kid…
Why did he always have to make things complicated?
All Might rubbed his forehead.
He didn't even know how to argue against Tsukauchi's suspicion.
Across from him, Tsukauchi saw the sweat forming on All Might's face and let out a cold snort.
Then he crossed his arms, voice rising with irritation.
"He's acting however he wants. No restraint, no sense of consequences. Does that brat even understand what the law is?"
All Might forced a smile.
"…We can't confirm it was Shimura-kun. There's no evidence, right?"
He said it out loud.
But in his heart, he was already convinced.
This had Shigaraki written all over it.
The method. The style. The way of thinking.
Knock people out first, then deal with them based on what they've done.
It was too clean.
Too deliberate.
Too him.
All Might could almost hear the boy's voice in his head.
Calm.
Unbothered.
Almost mocking.
"You told me to follow the law. I am."
"As long as you can't prove it, it's not a crime."
"If there's no evidence, then legally, nothing happened."
That logic again.
Ridiculous.
Completely wrong.
And yet… annoyingly airtight.
Tsukauchi felt his temples throb.
Because he couldn't refute it.
There was no evidence.
No witnesses.
No physical trace.
Everything pointed to one person, but nothing proved it.
If he dragged Shimura Tenko in for questioning right now, the boy could turn around and accuse him of abusing authority.
And he might actually win.
That was the worst part.
The answer felt obvious.
But the law didn't deal in feelings.
It dealt in proof.
Tsukauchi exhaled slowly, trying to suppress his frustration.
Still, no matter how irritated he was, he had no intention of bending the rules.
No secret surveillance.
No unofficial investigation.
No shortcuts.
First, because it went against everything he believed in as an officer.
And second…
He had to admit something he didn't like admitting.
What that boy was doing felt… satisfying.
Over the years, Tsukauchi had seen too many criminals stand in court and sneer.
"The law protects my rights."
People who had ruined lives. Taken lives.
And still walked free because of loopholes, procedures, or lack of evidence.
It made his blood boil.
But law was law.
It wasn't something you could twist just because justice felt slow.
There were systems.
Processes.
Limits.
And because of those limits, sometimes the worst people walked away.
Breathing.
Smiling.
Free.
Maybe that was why this "Dark Knight" struck a nerve.
Someone dragging those people into the shadows and giving them punishment that actually felt deserved.
Anyone would feel something seeing that.
Even him.
But that didn't mean it could continue.
Because he was a police officer.
And that came with a line he couldn't cross.
No matter how tempting it was.
Tsukauchi straightened and looked at All Might.
His expression turned serious.
"All Might."
His voice was steady now.
"Get that boy to stop."
"I'm counting on you."
"…Me?"
All Might blinked and pointed at himself.
He genuinely didn't understand where this confidence was coming from.
If anything, he had zero confidence.
The issue was simple.
That boy wasn't his fan.
And that changed everything.
All Might scratched his cheek and let out a small, helpless laugh.
"Why are you so sure I can persuade him?"
He shook his head.
"Let me be honest. His personality is… unusual."
"If you think I can just throw around the name 'All Might' and make him listen, you should give up on that idea."
"It won't work."
On that point, he was completely certain.
He had already tested it twice.
That boy could kill without hesitation.
Sit across from the Symbol of Peace and calmly talk about tearing down the system.
That kind of attitude only meant one thing.
Shigaraki didn't care about him.
Didn't care about the title.
Didn't care about what he represented.
And that was what unsettled All Might the most.
Not because of pride.
But because he understood his own influence.
Especially on boys.
If you asked most kids what they wanted to be, the answer was simple.
All Might.
Not a politician.
Not a businessman.
Not a celebrity.
Him.
The hero of heroes.
The man everyone looked up to.
That wasn't arrogance.
That was just how the world worked.
And yet—
there was one boy who didn't follow that rule.
Shimura Tenko.
Because that brat simply didn't care.
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