Seeing Toga Usha standing there motionless, eyes unfocused and body stiff like a puppet with its strings cut, Shigaraki slowly narrowed his eyes.
So this woman really thought he was harmless.
She had insulted him repeatedly, tried to drive a wedge between him and Himiko, and still acted as though he had no way to retaliate simply because she was Himiko's mother.
Ridiculous.
Did she really believe someone like him would quietly swallow that kind of humiliation?
Even All For One had once described him as someone born twisted from the start.
A person like that did not let insults go unanswered.
Especially not direct ones.
Shigaraki looked at her calmly.
"What's your name?" he asked. "And what exactly is your relationship with Shimura Kotaro?"
He paused briefly before asking the second question.
"And why do you hate him so much?"
He genuinely wanted to know.
What had that so-called father of his done to inspire this level of resentment?
Enough hatred that even his son became a target.
Under the effects of Brainwashing, Toga Usha answered immediately.
"My name is Toga Usha."
"Shimura Kotaro was my high school classmate."
Her tone was completely flat.
Mechanical.
Emotionless.
"I hate him because he stole away the person I loved most."
The hallway fell silent.
Even Shigaraki's expression froze for a second.
Then the corner of his mouth twitched faintly.
So that was the reason?
Here he thought there was some deep grudge involving betrayal or revenge.
Turns out it traced back to Shimura Kotaro again.
How troublesome.
No wonder she reacted so violently to his surname.
It had never really been about him in the first place.
He was simply inheriting old resentment.
Thinking back carefully, Shigaraki realized he had already sensed something strange earlier. The way she spoke about Kotaro carried too much personal bitterness for ordinary hatred.
Still, this outcome was somehow even messier than expected.
A grudge tied to love rarely disappeared cleanly.
Most of the time, it only deepened with the years.
Then suddenly, another thought crossed his mind.
What if the person she loved…
was actually his mother?
His eyes narrowed slightly.
For a moment, an entire absurd relationship drama pieced itself together inside his head.
Toga Usha.
Shimura Kotaro.
And a woman standing between them.
Ridiculous.
Almost laughably cliché.
Yet somehow, the consequences of it were still affecting people years later.
No wonder this woman despised the Shimura name so deeply.
From her perspective, it wasn't simple dislike.
It was a wound that had never healed.
"Tenko! Tenko!"
Himiko's anxious voice snapped him out of his thoughts.
She grabbed his sleeve tightly, her expression filled with confusion and unease.
"What happened to Mother? Did you use your Quirk on her?"
She didn't fully understand the situation.
But she knew this strange state had something to do with him.
And right now, only he could explain it.
Shigaraki glanced at her and nodded openly.
"Yeah."
"She's under my control right now."
His tone remained casual, almost unconcerned.
"As long as I keep the Quirk active, she'll answer whatever I ask."
Then he added calmly,
"Don't worry. It's temporary."
He saw no reason to hide it.
Sooner or later, Himiko would end up involved with him anyway.
When that happened, concealing things like his Quirk or abilities would become meaningless.
Showing her part of it now changed nothing.
"…I see."
Himiko let out a quiet breath.
She wasn't angry.
If anything, her expression looked conflicted.
Because deep down, she understood this situation had started because of her mother.
And Shigaraki had only retaliated because of that.
More importantly…
he had done it for her sake.
For someone who had spent her entire life being ignored, criticized, and controlled, having another person stand beside her like this felt unfamiliar.
Almost overwhelming.
How could she resent him for it?
She couldn't.
But that didn't make the situation easier.
Her mother and Tenko were now standing on opposite sides completely.
And the tension between them had only grown sharper.
Shigaraki glanced at her briefly before turning back toward Toga Usha.
If hesitation solved nothing, then there was no point hesitating.
He had already crossed the line.
Might as well continue.
"Go on," he said calmly.
The questioning resumed.
Ten minutes later, Shigaraki finally leaned back slightly, satisfied.
He had learned enough.
More than enough.
Secrets.
Weaknesses.
Connections.
And most importantly, leverage.
Everything he needed was now in his hands.
So he released the Brainwashing.
Toga Usha's body trembled lightly.
Her eyes slowly regained focus.
For a brief second, confusion overtook her face.
Because victims of Brainwashing never remembered what happened while controlled.
To them, it was simply a blank stretch of missing time.
An empty gap in memory.
And that alone was enough to tell her something had happened.
Almost immediately, her expression changed.
The softness vanished.
Her eyes turned cold and sharp once more as she stared directly at Shigaraki.
"Tenko."
Her voice was icy.
"What did you do to me just now?"
There was no uncertainty in her tone.
No hesitation.
She already suspected the truth.
That unnatural lapse in memory was too obvious to ignore.
But Shigaraki didn't deny it.
Didn't panic.
Didn't even bother pretending innocence.
Instead, he simply smiled.
Slowly.
Deliberately.
The kind of smile that unsettled people instinctively.
"…What do you think?"
The moment those words left his mouth, a chill crawled down Toga Usha's spine.
And for the first time since meeting him, she felt something completely different.
Not irritation.
Not anger.
Not contempt.
Fear.
◇ BONUS & SUPPORT ◇
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 10 reviews — drop a comment!
◇ 1 bonus chapter for every 100 Power Stones.
◇ Read 60 chapters ahead on P@treon → patreon.com/StrawHatStudios