"Because of him, one of my subordinates even drafted a request to place him under surveillance."
Tsukauchi leaned back slightly, his tone calm but firm.
"He thinks the boy is too dangerous."
He tapped the table lightly.
"At first, I thought he was overreacting."
"But now…"
His gaze fell on the student handbook in front of All Might.
"Now that I know Shimura Tenko is the one who killed that fugitive…"
His expression turned serious.
"…we can't afford to take him lightly."
Sometimes, a person didn't need to commit a crime to be watched.
Danger itself—even the potential for it—was enough.
And sometimes, a dangerous way of thinking was even more terrifying than dangerous actions.
"Explaining everything verbally would take too long," Tsukauchi continued. "You should just read the report."
He stood up, walked to a locked cabinet, and retrieved a neatly packaged file.
Then he placed it in front of All Might.
"After you're done, give me your opinion."
"Should we monitor him… or not?"
All Might hesitated for a brief moment before opening the file.
He read.
Line after line.
Detail after detail.
And as he went through it, a troubled look slowly appeared on his face.
Because…
he understood.
He understood the logic behind Shigaraki's words.
Understood the frustration.
The anger.
Even the hope buried within them.
But he also understood something else.
If ideas like Shigaraki's were allowed to spread freely through society—
then the consequences would be catastrophic.
Unlicensed heroes would begin to appear everywhere.
Civilians taking justice into their own hands.
Uncontrolled violence spreading under the banner of "righteousness."
For a time, crime might indeed decrease.
Villains might be struck down more quickly.
But the fragile order that society had painstakingly built…
would collapse.
It would be like drinking poison to quench thirst.
Short-term relief.
Long-term ruin.
And that—
was something All Might could never allow.
At the same time, however—
that didn't mean he agreed with placing Shigaraki under surveillance.
Closing the file, All Might pressed his fingers lightly against his temple.
Then he spoke slowly.
"I believe Shimura Tenko is a good child."
His tone was steady.
"He shouldn't be labeled as dangerous so hastily… nor treated as one."
He looked at Tsukauchi.
"There are gentler ways to handle this."
"Gentler?" Tsukauchi frowned slightly. "All Might, I know this is difficult for you because he's your master's grandson, but—"
Before he could finish, All Might raised a hand.
Stopping him.
"No need to say more, Tsukauchi."
His voice, though quiet, carried absolute certainty.
"I'll take full responsibility for that child."
Even in his weakened state, those sunken blue eyes burned faintly—
like embers that refused to go out.
"I'll go meet him myself this afternoon."
The decision had already been made.
And it would not change.
…
Kanzaki Middle School—Middle School Division.
Ding—dong—dong—
The long-awaited dismissal bell finally rang.
Shigaraki rubbed his eyes lazily, still half-asleep, and stretched his arms.
"…Finally."
He yawned.
"Class is over."
Then he let out a long, exasperated sigh.
"I knew I shouldn't have agreed to come to school with Himiko… this place is way too boring."
To him, the entire day had felt like torture.
Everything being taught—
he had already learned long ago.
Sitting through it all again was nothing short of a nightmare.
At this rate, if he had to endure a few more days like this, he felt like he might actually die.
Cause of death: boredom.
Originally, he had at least expected some excitement.
After all, he had walked into school that morning holding hands with Himiko Toga.
He had assumed that would stir up trouble.
Maybe someone would come pick a fight.
At the very least, it would break the monotony.
But reality had disappointed him.
After that one day when he had thoroughly crushed everyone who challenged him—
students and teachers alike had learned their lesson.
No one dared provoke him anymore.
And so, deprived of entertainment, Shigaraki had spent most of the day sleeping instead.
Well…
he had stayed up late the previous night.
Might as well make up for it during class.
Just as he was about to get up—
a familiar voice rang out from the doorway of Class 3-A.
"Tenko~ School's over! Let's go home together!"
Shigaraki looked up.
And sure enough—
there stood Himiko Toga, smiling brightly, her schoolbag in hand.
The moment he saw her, his head started to ache.
Not because he disliked her.
But because she was simply… too enthusiastic.
At lunchtime, she had shown up exactly the same way—
standing at his classroom door, holding two lunchboxes, completely unashamed as she invited him to eat together.
The entire class had exploded into chaos because of it.
And that had only been the beginning.
Every break—
without fail—
she appeared.
More punctual than the bell itself.
Her enthusiasm was… overwhelming.
Honestly, Shigaraki wasn't sure he could handle it.
It wasn't that he disliked girls who were affectionate toward him.
The problem was—
Himiko had gone way past "affectionate."
If they weren't in different grades and classes, he had a strong feeling she would already be glued to him twenty-four hours a day.
If she had ulterior motives, it would have been easy.
Ignore her.
Push her away.
Deal with it however he wanted.
But that wasn't the case.
He could feel it clearly—
she had no ill intent.
None at all.
If anything…
she was completely sincere.
And that made things complicated.
Because, contrary to what people might think—
Shigaraki wasn't actually heartless.
How was he supposed to reject a girl who genuinely cared about him?
Who wanted to be with him?
Who didn't even care about losing face in front of others?
…Had he accidentally gotten way too close to her, way too fast?
Thinking that, Shigaraki let out a quiet sigh and stood up.
Well—
until Kurogiri returned, he still had to rely on her for meals.
And if he didn't want to eat outside junk food…
then going to her place for dinner was basically inevitable.
"…Let's go."
…
Not long after the two of them left the school gates hand in hand—
they were stopped.
More precisely, Shigaraki was.
Standing in front of them was a tall, extremely thin man wearing a loose trench coat and a hat pulled low over his face, hiding his features in shadow.
His voice was calm.
"Shimura Tenko… I'd like to talk to you for a moment."
Before Shigaraki could respond—
Himiko stepped forward immediately.
"Who are you?"
Her tone turned sharp in an instant.
"What do you want with Tenko?"
Her eyes were full of vigilance.
And honestly—
that reaction was completely reasonable.
Because the man in front of them looked suspicious in every possible way.
Covered from head to toe.
Face hidden.
Voice strange.
He practically screamed dangerous individual.
Exactly the kind of person you'd see in reports about kidnappers or serial killers.
Was he trying to do something to Tenko?
At that thought, the look in Himiko's eyes grew even colder.
Meanwhile—
All Might, who had deliberately disguised himself, felt a wave of helplessness.
He really hadn't expected his attempt at concealment to backfire this badly.
But there was nothing he could do.
All his talents were in combat.
Stealth… was not his area of expertise.
"I really don't mean any harm," he said sincerely.
"I just want to talk to him."
Unfortunately—
in this situation, that only made him sound even more suspicious.
Himiko immediately shifted her position, placing herself slightly in front of Shigaraki.
At the same time, she quietly took out her phone behind her back, ready to call the police.
Then she spoke with firm warning:
"I suggest you don't try anything."
"This is Kanzaki Middle School."
"There are Pro Heroes stationed nearby year-round."
"If you make a move, they'll be here immediately."
"And when that happens…"
Her eyes narrowed.
"You won't be getting away."
Hearing that—
Shigaraki, who had already seen through All Might's disguise and was fully prepared to enjoy the show—
suddenly felt a playful urge.
So he put on a serious face and added solemnly:
"Yeah."
"There are some very strong Pro Heroes around here."
He nodded as if offering genuine advice.
"If you don't want to get caught, you'd better not do anything suspicious."
"…Hah."
"…Haha…"
He lasted about three seconds.
Then he broke.
Laughter spilled out uncontrollably.
Saying that in front of All Might himself—
warning him about Pro Heroes—
telling him he might get arrested—
This was just too good.
Too ridiculous.
Himiko, however, only looked more confused.
She had no idea what was so funny.
All Might, on the other hand, instantly understood.
That boy…
had already seen through everything.
And was deliberately playing along.
For a moment, even the Number One Hero didn't know whether to laugh or sigh.
What a terrible personality.
As expected of his master's grandson.
Meanwhile, Himiko looked between the two of them, growing more and more puzzled.
Sensing that he had teased enough, Shigaraki finally stopped laughing.
After all—
a joke was only funny in moderation.
He reached out and lightly patted Himiko's shoulder.
"It's fine."
"No need to be so cautious."
He smiled faintly.
"I know him."
"He's not suspicious."
"…R-Really?"
She still looked hesitant.
But if Shigaraki said so…
she would trust him.
"When have I ever lied to you?"
He shrugged.
"And besides…"
A faint confidence flashed in his eyes.
"I'm strong, remember?"
"It's just a conversation."
"There's nothing to worry about."
Himiko hesitated for a moment longer.
Then finally nodded.
"…Alright."
"I'll wait for you."
And so—
under her repeated reminders and extremely hostile glare—
All Might successfully managed to "invite" Shigaraki aside.
Well.
"Invite" might not have been the most accurate word.
But it would do.
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