"Better text Himiko first and see if anyone else is home…"
After finishing his conversation with All Might, Shigaraki left the café in a fairly good mood and took the train toward the Toga estate.
When he arrived outside the tall gate, however, he did not ring the bell right away.
Instead, he pulled out his phone and sent Himiko a message.
Experience had taught him caution.
Not long ago, he had shown up for dinner without warning her first. At the time, he had walked right up to the gate and pressed the bell with the shameless confidence of a man who had already pictured himself sitting at the dining table.
Then the person who opened the door had not been Himiko.
It had been some unfamiliar woman.
That brief moment had been awkward enough that even Shigaraki had nearly considered turning around and vanishing on the spot.
Fortunately, Himiko had rushed over in time and explained things before the woman could mistake him for a suspicious trespasser loitering around a rich family's house.
Since then, Shigaraki had developed a new habit.
Whenever he came over to mooch dinner, he texted first.
A few moments later, his phone vibrated.
Himiko had replied.
"There are people home, but it's fine. They won't bother with me anyway. I'll come meet you at the gate, Tenko. Wait for me a sec."
Shigaraki's gaze paused on one sentence.
They won't bother with me anyway.
His eyes narrowed faintly.
That line immediately reminded him of the information Black Mist had quietly gathered on the Toga family.
Toga's parents were a political marriage. Their union had never been built on affection.
As for Himiko, the daughter born to continue the family line, they had never shown her much warmth either.
Because of her Quirk, what they felt toward her was closer to disgust than affection.
To them, Himiko was "abnormal."
A mistake that should have been corrected.
Even after she desperately reshaped herself into the perfect "normal" daughter they wanted, their indifference had not truly changed.
Thinking of that, Shigaraki frowned.
He did feel a little sorry for her.
But this was still her family matter. As an outsider, he had no right to barge in and tear open wounds she had never chosen to show him.
More importantly, during all the time they had spent together, Himiko had never once brought it up herself.
So Shigaraki did not intend to force his way into that territory.
Still…
If her parents really were home today, whether Himiko would be affected by it was another question.
"Tenko, you're here!"
The garden gate opened.
A blonde girl stepped out with quick, lively steps.
It was Himiko.
As always, she wore a bright smile. But compared with the polished, almost flawless smile she used to wear before, this one looked more genuine.
Warmer.
Easier.
Clearly, these past few days had put her in a good mood.
"Tenko, I've been waiting forever," Himiko complained as she hurried over and tugged lightly at his sleeve. "Why are you so late?"
There was no real anger in her voice.
Only relief.
And something harder to name.
Shigaraki smiled faintly.
"I ran into an old acquaintance on the way, so we talked for a while."
After a short pause, he deliberately added, "You know him too. That strange uncle who came to school to find me last time."
He said it on purpose.
As for why?
Some things were better left to imagination.
Himiko visibly relaxed.
"Oh… that weirdo?"
She let out a soft breath, and the tension in her shoulders faded.
"So that's why you were late…"
Her voice trailed off.
Before hearing his explanation, she really had been worried.
Worried he had met some other girl.
Worried his interest in her had faded.
Worried that, for the first time in a long while, she was about to lose something precious.
Now that those fears had been soothed, ease returned to her expression.
Though deep down, she also quietly decided that certain preparations might need to be made soon.
For example, putting a tracker on him.
Just in case.
Unfortunately for Himiko, Shigaraki knew nothing about the little spiral of thoughts turning inside her head.
So he simply followed her through the courtyard toward her room.
But before they could get far, a cold female voice sounded from the other side of the corridor.
"Wait a moment, Himiko."
The words were not loud.
But they were enough to stop them both.
Shigaraki turned.
Standing at the far end of the hallway was a woman who looked like an older, sharper version of Himiko.
She was tall, elegant, and beautiful in a severe way.
Where Himiko's charm felt vivid and dangerous, this woman's beauty was restrained, polished, and faintly oppressive.
She carried the air of someone used to moving through the upper layers of society. Composed, distant, and accustomed to judging others before deciding whether they were worth acknowledging.
At that moment, her cold eyes were fixed on the two of them.
More precisely, on Shigaraki.
The instant her voice sounded, the girl beside him stiffened.
Only slightly.
Only for a moment.
If Shigaraki had not been standing so close, he might have missed it.
But he noticed.
Then, just as quickly, the stiffness disappeared.
The next second, Himiko's face had already returned to that flawless, well-practiced smile.
She turned toward the woman and greeted her sweetly.
"Mother."
Her voice was light, polite, and perfectly controlled.
"This is my classmate from Kanzaki Academy, Shimura Tenko."
"We've been covering some new material recently. I was worried I might fall behind, so I asked him to come over and review with me."
"Is that so?"
The woman whom Himiko called Mother walked toward them slowly, her heels clicking softly against the polished floor.
She stopped in front of Shigaraki and looked him over from head to toe.
She did not bother hiding it.
It was not curiosity.
It was assessment.
A cool, open examination, like she was checking the quality of a product before deciding whether it deserved a place in her house.
Her gaze moved from his hair to his face, then to his uniform and shoes.
Then her brows drew together slightly.
The change was subtle.
But it was there.
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