Time slipped by quickly.
Before long, night had fallen.
In the bustling Kabukichō district, Kurogiri—concealed by his own mist—stood there in stunned silence, staring at Shigaraki Tomura, who was clearly enjoying himself far too much.
"Shigaraki-kun…"
"Hm? What is it, Kurogiri-san?"
To be honest, Shigaraki found a place like Kabukichō incredibly novel and fascinating.
It was his first time here.
Not just in this life—
But in both lives combined.
So after entering, he had practically thrown himself into the atmosphere.
That said, he hadn't forgotten the real purpose of tonight's visit.
After choosing his words carefully, Kurogiri spoke in a measured tone.
"I must admit… I do not fully understand your intentions at present."
Shigaraki spread his hands casually.
"Well, as you can see… I'm finding a suitable host body for our dear Sludge."
In truth, when he subdued the Sludge Villain earlier, he had damaged his body quite severely.
Now the slime needed to attach to a host to stabilize and recover.
Otherwise—
He'd dissipate completely.
Shigaraki had no intention of losing his freshly recruited subordinate so soon.
Which meant he had no choice but to personally come out tonight.
If it weren't for that?
He'd much rather stay home and game.
"But…"
Kurogiri's expression twitched as he looked at Shigaraki, who was currently surrounded by flirtatious hostesses and neon lights.
"I understand the logic. However… why this location?"
"What does Kabukichō have to do with finding a host?"
He truly could not see the connection.
Shigaraki moved through the crowd lazily, scanning faces while replying offhandedly.
"Ah, you don't get it."
"Kabukichō may not be as chaotic as it once was, but it's still a favored den for criminals."
"After all, this is the perfect place for filth to hide."
"And thanks to my earlier little speech… the number of restless Villains has increased considerably."
He smiled faintly.
"That's a good thing."
In every sense of the word.
More Villains meant more potential recruits.
And more opportunities to complete missions.
Kurogiri fell silent, contemplating those words.
Just then—
A shadow passed nearby.
The person's gaze wasn't on Shigaraki's face.
It was on the thick stack of ten-thousand-yen bills peeking carelessly from his pocket.
Fukuzawa Yukichi.
The highest denomination note.
"Ah. A fish has taken the bait."
Shigaraki's eye gleamed.
"Did you notice, Kurogiri-san?"
Without waiting for a reply, he made two casual turns through the crowd and deliberately walked toward a dimly lit alley.
Hook, line, and sinker.
…
Elsewhere—
The unknown figure hesitated.
Why was this guy heading toward the edge of Kabukichō?
For a moment, suspicion flickered.
Had he been exposed?
But greed triumphed.
That stack of Fukuzawa Yukichi was simply too tempting.
He followed.
When he entered the alley, he saw Shigaraki standing at the dead end, looking around in confusion.
"Huh? Isn't this supposed to be the restroom? Why's it a dead end?"
The follower nearly laughed out loud.
So that was it.
The guy wasn't cautious—
He was just new.
First-timer in Kabukichō.
Perfect.
That meant robbing him wouldn't attract unwanted attention from local bosses.
The man crept closer.
"Don't move."
A sharp object pressed against Shigaraki's back.
"Hand over all your money."
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