Suspicion

-Hosu-

As far as Chouko could tell, she had seen nothing out of the ordinary with Tenya. She knew she promised Reina to keep an eye on him, but so far from what she had seen it was normal. But than again… It was a little too normal for her.

It had been at this point she felt uneasy, though she continued the days as if it had been normal as she acted like how she always had been.

Even now, she still held her smile as she was on patrol with Tenya and their peer of his brother's agency.

"Normally we're just waiting for calls from clients, but recently Hosu's been kind of hectic." Their Instructor named Manual explained.

"I'll bet." Chouko couldn't help but comment, "With the Villain attacks going on recently I can see why."

"Street patrols become a way to surpass crime." Tenya said.

"That's right." Manual said, "Still… I can't believe two young Heroes, one of them being Inegium's little brother interning at my agency. I'm sure you both had offers from Heroes more capable than me."

"That maybe so, but we just thought we would go at a different pace." Chouko said, "Isn't that Iida-san?"

Chouko soon noticed Tenya looking towards an alleyway, as he stayed silent. Though she couldn't see the expression under his mask, the silence couldn't help but make her feel uneasy. "Iida-san?" She said tapping him on the shoulder, making him flinch, "Are you alright?"

"Ye--yeah." Tenya said, snapping him out of his thoughts, "Yeah, I'm fine."

Chouko couldn't help but notice the tone of his voice, "... You don't… Sound fine…"

This time, Tenya didn't respond, as he continued to follow Manual. Chouko couldn't help but look to where Tenya's eyes had been. "... All this must be hard for him…" She thought to herself, "... I can't imagine what he must be feeling… Had it been my parents, or Fu-kun… I probably would've been the same. Still… I wonder who could have attacked his brother."

They soon noticed a crowd of people, gathered around a TV station. They couldn't help but feel curious as they approached the crowd from behind.

"--Pro-Heroes Agent B05 and his wife Agent B.01 had been able to prevent what could've been a major disaster." The News Reporter said, "Assisting them were two students from the famous academy UA, as well as two of the top three winners of the most recent Sports Festival--First place winner Katsuki Bakugou and third place winner, Reina Nouki. Let's see if they're able to answer a few questions."

The television showed Reina and Katsuki in the camera view, surprising Tenya and Chouko as they both had been put into shock. The reporter soon walked up to them with a mic in hand.

"Nouki-san? Nouki-san!" The reporter said, as they saw Reina quickly hide behind Katsuki when they approached, "Can you tell us what was going through your mind while you were chasing after the vehicle?"

"Leave her alone assholes!" Katsuki shouted into the camera, "She's got nothing to comment on!" He roughly hit the camera away before they both distanced themselves.

Malcolm soon came onto the screen as he said with a smile, "Sorry, but we got no time to take questions! Please excuse us!" With a bow, they saw him usher Katsuki and Reina through the oncoming crowd of people.

Chouko couldn't help but smile, "As always Bakugou-san has his way with people."

"... They were able to help stop a bus from crashing." Tenya said in awe, "That must've been eventful for them."

The Reporter in the camera cleared her throat, "Well, it looks like we'll have to try again another time. Let's go back to Takashi for the latest news update."

The camera soon cut to a man with ears of a dog and a pair of glasses over his eyes. "Thank you Satsuki." He said, "In other news another Pro-Hero was found dead in the downtown area of Hosu. Joggers spotted his body nearby earlier that same day and police were quick to rush to the scene. Though it remains unconfirmed, police already suspect the one responsible for this heinous act is none other than the one who is known as the Hero Killer, Stain."

Chouko's eyes widened slightly at this as the crowd had been put into shock. She heard whispers among them.

"The Hero Killer? Didn't he leave the city years ago?"

"I always thought he was just a rumor."

"Of course he is, there's no way he can be real!"

"Still… To do that to a Pro-Hero… I hope they catch him soon."

"Oh man…" Manual said, "... I didn't think he would be so close. Than again considering what happened..."

"The Hero Killer…" Chouko said softly.

Manual looked at Chouko a bit surprised, "Have you not heard of him?"

"I have… But only on social media." She replied, "I just never considered the possibility of him being real… It's unsettling…"

Manual gave her a reassuring smile, "Don't worry, as long as you and Tenya stay with us, you won't have to worry about him."

"... That is reassuring, I guess." Chouko said, before turning to Tenya, "What do you think about this Iid--"

Chouko stopped herself when she noticed Tenya's demeanor. Though his face was covered by his mask, she saw his posture change slightly as the news continued to talk about Stain. Now that Chouko thought about it, he didn't even so much as make a comment about the news of Stain coming back.

As she looked at the television, she couldn't help but have a thought.

"I wonder… Could it be…?"

***

-???-

The room had been pitch black with only the computer screen lit up as he watched the last of what had been on the drive. He didn't think he could get more angry, but he was.

How dare they, he couldn't help but think.

He looked at the colored drawing in his lap, as he replayed the clips in his head, making his blood boil.

"How could they put you through that Rei-chan…? I can't imagine how scared you must've been… All those years of being alone…"

He took his hand off the paper clenching his hand; his arm shook as he scratched at his neck more aggressively.

"... I know that bitch did this to you! She's responsible for all of this! She made you forget everything!... Just like she did with me…!"

He soon stopped his scratching as he pulled his hand back, noting the blood on his nails.

"... I may not remember a lot of things… It may all be scattered in my head now… But regardless… I'll make her pay… I'll make her pay for what she did to you… To us… Once I rid the world…. Of the Symbol of Peace… "

There had been a knock at the door, getting Shigaraki's attention.

Tadano's voice came through the door.

"... Sir. Kurogiri found him."

Shigaraki's expression changed slightly, "Tell him to bring him to the usual place."

"Understood." Tadano said, before he heard his footsteps descend down the hall.

He took the hand from his desk and placed it on his face, standing up from the chair. He took one last look at the colored drawing, before he folded it up with care and put it in his pocket. He soon exited the room after shutting off his computer.