Before we could spend a whole night together, Hound Dog stormed up and slammed the door shut to "catch us red-handed" being intimate, looking like he wanted to devour us alive right after 3 minutes of foreplay.
Luckily, I was lucid enough to remember Nezu's warning, and he really wasn't joking about maintaining discipline in the dorm, so when Hound Dog burst through the door, the first thing he saw was simply me massaging Himiko, and Himiko's moaning that he claimed was a sign of intimacy proved ineffective because he actually felt relaxed while I massaged him with the same movements.
As soon as he left and we had to fix the door hinges ourselves, we just ended up sleeping together – in her room, of course, because I couldn't move into mine yet as I had some things I'd pick up when I got home tomorrow. And even then, sleep wasn't very deep, as Himiko couldn't resist turning over 10 minutes later to gently bite my ear, making me unconsciously moan, and then Hound Dog would rush in and break the door that Himiko and I had only managed to attach less than 20 minutes earlier. It was pure torment…
Finally, since my luggage couldn't be brought here until tomorrow, sharing a room with Himiko was somewhat acceptable. However, the "either we separate or we both go outside" choice was incredibly annoying. But I had to put up with it. I slept on the floor, she slept on the bed; that was fair enough. She even made me a glass of milk to help me sleep better...
And somehow, I woke up naked, lying next to Himiko, who was also naked, with clearly visible bite marks and hickeys on my neck and collarbone, along with a dizzy feeling. I bet she was bold enough to make me sleep like a log and then probably did nothing but sleep nude with me and do these silly things. Hope so...
…
Sunday, shopping day.
The first thing we do is hit up a few clothing stores. Not to buy anything - we just need a place to chill, hide from Izuku, and get less attentions as much as possible.
Why the secrecy? Simple, my goal wasn't to hunt Tomura down or stop him meeting Izuku - though I'd be lying if I said revenge for that near-death experience at his hands wasn't on my mind. The real reason for this trip was to spend time with Himiko, to give her something normal, something fun, before the chaos of U.A.'s training camp swallowed me up.
And damn, she picked out a really good outfit this time. Not flashy, but really appropriate for the occasion.
Her new clothes were light, summery, perfect for the season: a white sundress with pink floral prints and thin straps on the shoulders, short enough to show off her slender legs, and...sandals? Idk. A little too short, really, but she insisted on it, and I couldn't say no. And her hair... yep, still tied in 2 small bun with little messy. She looks great in it, and compared to me... Yeah, a little simple.
A plain white t-shirt with jeans, and it shows. Even HimikoF noticed, teasing me about it when we met up at the train station. I didn't let that bother me though - I could dress myself just fine.
But i swear, if I could choose something special, I would definitely choose something a little more emo and edgy, because I look just so silly...
Since I split off with Himiko instead of being in the same group as 1-A, we had plenty of time to explore before getting down to business, and damn, this place is... huge. Kiyashi Ward Shopping Mall is not just a mall - it's a freaking shopping complex. Every inch of this place is packed with stores selling anything and everything. Shoes, clothes, electronics, hero merch, food, furniture - you name it. And that's not even the half of it. Just looking at the directory, along with the huge central road and bridges connecting the two shopping areas on either side, made me wondering where to start.
Well, guess I'll have to wing it.
Himiko took the lead, practically dragging me along as she ran from one store to another, like we'd never set foot in a mall before. To be fair, though, we haven't. U.A's got everything we need, and besides, when we did go out, it was small streets, a nearby park, or gyms and dojos, not a shopping center like this.
The first place we hit was a hero merch shop - a pretty big one, too. As soon as we stepped in, the walls and ceiling were covered with colorful posters, figures, toys, costumes, even action figures. We walked around, checking it out, and Himiko seemed to know every piece of merch in here, and damn, that's kinda impressive...
But we didn't buy anything, just looked around. Then we left, heading for some clothing store Himiko picked. She grabbed my hand, leading the way, but it felt different this time - like she was worried someone would drag me away. I smiled, squeezing her hand back, letting her know it was okay.
Her outfit was perfect for the hot weather, but I wanted to get her something extra special.
What do we usually have in the summer? Beach and bikini, sure, of course. So as soon as I had that idea, I took her straight to the swimsuit store and bought her a set. All white, plain, no extra designs, but still cute. It's summer, after all, what guy wouldn't be excited to see his girlfriend in a classic but sexy bikini?
Yeah, "If you believe your bikini bottoms are panties, then they're panties."
I don't really remember who said that... Maybe Sensei from Blue Archive once...
She was a little hesitant and shy when she tried it at first, but eventually warmed up to it, and it was great...
And just like that, fuck how much time passes, we still chilled, went sightseeing and shopped for all sorts of things. I knew she loved pomegranates - based on MHA Databook, so I bought her a glass of pomegranate juice, and this...kinda peaceful. At least she has some happy memories different from the original timeline...
But the good times don't last long, especially when my luck is shit.
I was a bit careless and bumped into a young man and both of us fell to the ground. And what was worse? Yes. That bastard Shigaraki Tomura was the one I bumped into. And I sure as hell wasn't seeing things, because his outfit and whole damn look, surprisingly, were almost identical to the original anime version. Black hoodie pulled over his head, plain black sweatpants, red sneakers, long and messy-as-fuck light blue hair, and a face so dry and dead, as it looked straight out of those damn exiles of the Republic of Vietnam after 1975.
"My bad," I said, standing up, then extending a hand. "Here. Need some help?"
He stared at my hand, then gave me an odd look, like I'd grown a second head. "Thank you." he said, voice low and rough as sandpaper, eyes flicking over me. He took my hand, and when our skin touched, a weird tingle ran through me. A chill, like something dark just brushed against me. His fingers twitched, and my own hand jerked - it was instinctive, a response to his creepy-ass vibes.
His brows furrowed, but I kept smiling, pulling him up, acting like it never happened.
"Say, it seems like you're an U.A student! Can I have your autograph?"
Okay, this is fucking over...
Seeing my tense face next to Tomura, Himiko, with her quick mind, seemed to realize that this was an emergency situation through my expression, so she immediately acted as she understood.
"Let me go get a pen. It's not often that you have fans, right?"
With that, she left quickly, leaving me alone with this "rotten raisin".
He immediately put his arm around my shoulder and approached me with an intimate voice:
"You're the one who got beaten to a pulp at the sports festival, right? And you also the one who killed Stain, right?"
"Yes... I was a bit inexperienced back then..." I said in a hoarse voice, with the move being calculated very carefully in my head. "Hang on a sec, how do you...?"
Before I could finish my sentence, he immediately grabbed my neck with four fingers and changed to a disgustingly threatening and arrogant state.
"Meeting you here was really beyond my expectations. Perhaps fate has brought me here today..." He said, while smiling a disgusting smile. "Now, shall we have a chat, ONODERA RYUGA?"
Motherfucker...
Alright, be cool.
His Quirk Factor is in his hands, mine is also in my hands but more broadly it's 'body sensation'. If I disable him before he can do anything, there's a high chance it'll still work.
But it wouldn't be very feasible to do it directly. I need something...less obvious but more dangerous...
Oh yeah, that way. That method works, but I'm afraid it's a bit too much.
Seeing me a bit tense and sweating profusely, he suddenly became comfortable and surprisingly calm and told me to just act normally like friends, even though in reality no one would strangle their friend with 4 fingers.
"Don't even think about causing trouble here, okay? Calm down and breathe." He said while choking me like a chicken. "I just want to talk for a bit. Do you know what will happen if you play a trick? It's simple. When all 5 of my fingers touch you, you will start to disintegrate from the neck up... and will turn into dust in an instant. You know the pain of it once, right??
"Alright, you're the best, you bastard. Now sit down somewhere before we both "toasted". Standing here is making my legs tired."
Seeing my suspiciously cooperative attitude, he suddenly felt suspicious for a moment, but then put it aside and continued:
"That's more like it. Sit here, and we can chat comfortably."
As soon as we sat down, the fucking plan I had in mind finally clicked into action.
Look at this place. A crowded mall. If I made a scene or released something airborne, I'd kill dozens of civilians. But I didn't need to. I just needed to target the exact point of contact.
I focused my Quirk purely on the patch of skin around my neck where his four rough, calloused fingers were pressing. Carefully, I altered the molecular structure of my own sweat, transforming it into a highly concentrated, synthetic transdermal neurotoxin - something akin to pure HF, heavy, viscous, and completely poisonous. It would only seep directly into the open pores of his skin.
Because I had previously forced my body to adapt to lethal poisons during the Stain fight, I could temporarily insulate my own bloodstream from it. For him, though? It was a silent, invisible death sentence.
And while he was complaining about how everyone was talking about Stain and how his ideology - which a journalist happened to get when he asked to take pictures of Stain's autopsy and his diary at the shelter - was overshadowing what he had tried to show to polish the name of the League of Villains in general and himself in particular, I pretended to listen with a tense face, letting the deadly liquid do its work...
"No matter what he says, in the end, both me and that bastard want to erase what we hate." He said, his face breaking into a sinister smile as if waiting for a suitable answer. "What do you think is the difference between me and him, Onodera?"
"Two things," I said, my voice eerily calm. "The first is that he pursued his own goals and ideals in life. And the second... He knew why he died."
"What do you mean...?"
Before he could finish his sentence, th acid hit his nervous system like a freight train.
His four fingers twitched violently against my neck, then went completely rigid. The arrogant grin melted off his face, replaced by wide-eyed shock. He tried to pull his hand away to scratch his neck, but the paralysis was already shooting up his arm like freezing lightning, locking his muscles.
He gasped, but no air came. The toxin was paralyzing his diaphragm and vocal cords. He couldn't even force out a squeak.
Tomura slumped backward off the bench, hitting the floor with a heavy thud. His body convulsed helplessly, his good hand clawing desperately at his own throat as he writhed on the polished tiles.
The mall around us continued its chaotic hum—people walking, chatting, completely oblivious to the assassination happening right at their feet. To anyone passing by, it just looked like a sick guy having a sudden seizure.
I stood up slowly.
I didn't say a word. I didn't mock him. I didn't smile. My face was a mask of absolute, freezing apathy. My eyes locked onto his, radiating a pure, unadulterated killing intent. I looked at him not as a formidable villain, but as a pathetic pest that needed to be crushed.
Tap.
I took a slow step toward him.
Tomura's bloodshot eyes bulged in sheer, primal terror. He was suffocating, his lungs refusing to expand, saliva pooling at the corner of his mouth. He used his legs and his one barely-functioning arm to drag himself backward across the floor, scraping desperately to get away from me.
Tap.
Another deliberate step. My shadow fell over his trembling, pathetic form.
In his eyes, I saw it. The horrifying realization of his own mortality. He couldn't scream for help. He couldn't threaten me with his Decay. For the first time in his life, the arrogant "Player" realized he was just an NPC about to be deleted from the game. The panic radiating from him was palpable, a suffocating wave of despair as I loomed over him, looking down like the grim reaper himself.
I raised my foot, ready to stomp down on his windpipe and end this miserable story right here and now.
Fwoosh.
A misty warp gate suddenly blossomed open directly beneath him. With a burst of violet fog and a gust of suction, Kurogiri's portal swallowed Tomura's paralyzed, convulsing body just a split second before my shoe slammed into the empty floor.
The portal snapped shut, leaving nothing but a faint wisp of purple smoke.
Gone. He got lucky.
I stood there in the empty spot, exhaling slowly. Without missing a beat, I used my Quirk to restructure the toxic residue on my neck, neutralizing the neurotoxin back into harmless salt and water. A sharp sting ran down my spine from the exertion, but there was no danger left. No collateral damage. No public panic.
"Ryuga!" Himiko's voice called out.
I turned just as she rushed in from one of the side halls, leading a "small" but familiar crowd.
Midoriya, Bakugo, Ida, and even Todoroki and the rest of 1-A, they were flanking her. Behind them, a few pro heroes had joined in, likely stationed nearby for safety.
And also… someone else.
"You gotta be fucking kidding me...?" I muttered.