Kurogiri quite liked his cover as a bartender of the small, speak-easy bar that he and his boss used as the base of operations for Shigaraki's fledgling League of Villains. Current members were himself and Shigaraki. The repetitive act of cleaning glasses he found to be relaxing, almost like a way to take his mind off the heavier things in life. While customers were rare to come by, regulars did exist. And regulars meant that he could talk to someone able to converse in topics that were not All Might or video games. Granted, the 'regulars' themselves did not come in at a rate that one could call regular but their faces showed up often enough that he felt it adequate to call them that. The jingle that accompanied the weary footfall on old wood told him that one such regular had come.

Takumi.

"Welcome. Would you like the usual?"

"Yeah I do," he heard Takumi grunt. "And make it double."

He raised his brow as he set a large glass on the counter and prepared Takumi's favourite drink which he had come to call the 'Spirit Walker'. One part absinthe, one part vodka and one part spirit with a splash of squash. A liver's nightmare. Takumi only ordered this when he had a bad day—which seemed like every other time he came in. Usually around the end of the month when his boss underpaid him. Something terrible must have happened tonight for him to even consider doubling up the hellish drink.

"Alright but every drink I serve after that will be non-alcoholic," he said while sliding the glass over to Takumi. "If I poured that into an engine, it'll run."

"Hah! Good one! More reason for me to lap it up."

He winced as he saw Takumi chug that flammable concoction like there was no tomorrow. He prided himself in being able to hold his liquor but this was on another level that he dared not explore. That stuff was a combination of liquids whose alcoholic content might as well have made them pure alcohol. But yet, there sat Takumi, groaning and coughing from the burning sensation he was sure to feel in his throat and stomach.

"Ah fuck, that hurt! Well, at least I'm still alive to feel it."

"Alive? What happened? I know Viper isn't exactly the best of employers but he wouldn't kill you over mistakes. What he do? Threaten your figure collection again?"

The bang on the table made the empty glass move a good few inches. If Kurogiri was startled, he did not show it as he continued to wipe empty glasses clean. His brows did furrow when Takumi began to scoff and look away. Knowing him to be like Shigaraki if his interests went towards animated shows. He expected a red-faced Takumi berating him with passion, demanding that he take his words back or show respect towards Mimi…no. Mary? Kira? Something. Something-chan. Whatever. Regardless, his anger for belittling his interests should have overridden any factor that had brought him into his bar.

"I suppose I should be happy. Viper's gone. His posse's gone. But I also missed out on the new episode of Colourful Girl Drop, so there's that."

Now this was new. Kurogiri stopped wiping the glass in hand and set it on the counter.

"Wait. Gone?"

"Yes, gone. Dead. Deceased. Kaput. The only reason I'm alive is because I didn't take any part in the shit they were doing."

"Job went balls up?"

"Oh yeah. Definitely. Today was supposed to be the day we took the Uraraka girl as compensation for her parents' debt but she went off to her friend's house. So Viper, in his infinite wisdom, decided that we should also whack her friend too to 'teach her a lesson' or something or other. Hey, stop making that face. I didn't like it too but they were idiots. Anyway, night fell and we knocked out the kid and his mom with sleeping gas. We brought the girl into house, tied her down and they smacked her around a few before one of them got ready to defile the kid's mom in front of her."

While Kurogiri was known to be a calm man, hearing Takumi's tale made his blood run hot. The glass he was grasping at unknowingly creaked in his hand. He was not a good person, he was aware of this fact, but there were many things within that arc of a story that did not sit well with him.

"I looked away. The Uraraka girl was already screaming, begging for them to stop. Then, they panicked. The green-haired kid was gone. This…pink-haired demon appeared in his place, snapping Nijime's neck and pulverizing Tungsten's head with his foot. It was so fast I didn't know how long it took. All I knew after that was Viper trying to slash at him only to find his knife stuck in his throat."

Takumi's speech was becoming slurred. The alcohol finally kicked in, Kurogiri observed. He had stopped grasping the glass and was now contemplating Takumi's tale. He could already tell where this was going but it just seemed too bizarre. Where did the pink-haired man come from? He must have been quite strong to overpower Tungsten considering he was rather powerful for a Quirkless. This man or demon did not seem to have a Quirk either or did not use it because not once in Takumi's story did he mention any use of Quirks. Perhaps the pink man's sudden appearance was a clue towards Quirk but there was not much to work with at the moment.

"I take it, the pink-haired man told you to bring him to where you worked?" Kurogiri asked.

Takumi, whose eyelids were half-open, nodded.

"He should be making his way to the boss now. Took Viper's gun from the glovebox before he went. I think we left the Uraraka girl behind. I dunno. My head hurts. Wake me up for work will ya?"

With a sigh, Kurogiri agreed and helped Takumi up to move him to a corner of the bar where he slumped unconscious. Takumi's workplace was right next to the bar, a sleazy loan shark's office. Any moment now, he should hear muffled gunshots.

As if on cue, the gunshots came. His gaze turned to the cuckoo clock that hung on the bar's wall. He wondered how long it will take for the noise to die down. The seconds ticked by. He was sure he heard a shotgun fire at some point. A minute had passed and the noise still seeped through the walls. This man was good. If he had a Quirk, he must be doing really well not to use it because the occasional gunshots told him that he relied on firearms. However, at the five minute mark, he saw it.

The clock's second hand moved ten spaces in one second.

And it seemed he was not the only one that noticed it.

"Kurogiri!" he heard Shigaraki yell from upstairs. "It happened again! He's here!"

He could hear him running downstairs. A sigh escaped him. "No, Shigaraki. We're not going to check it out."

"But I didn't tell you what I wanted to do yet."

"But that's what you wanted to do, right?"

Shigaraki clicked his tongue.

"This is our chance to see the guy with the glitch-like Quirk. It's no secret that Sensei is interested in this guy as well so what better opportunity that now?"

Ah. He played the 'Sensei' card. Not only that, he also put in an argument that makes sense. Kurogiri crossed his arms and sighed once more.

"Alright then. I'll take you there. But only if you promise not to cause trouble."

"Fair enough. Having a Noumu would not be beneficial to the League of Villains."

A league of only two members, Kurogiri wanted to say but kept to himself. He transformed into a warp gate and transported Shigaraki and himself to Takumi's workplace. Upon arrival, he could already see what Takumi meant by 'demon'. Every person that worked at this hour, whether it be underpaid clerks or hired muscle, was a corpse. Blood ran through the corridors of the small office building. He heard Shigaraki whistle in amusement at the sight along with an offhand remark on hiring the guy who did it. However, up until they reached the boss's floor, there was nothing remarkable about the scene. Sure, there were signs that everything from guns to office stationery were utilised but nothing stood out to him. Once they reached the boss's floor though, he noticed how Shigaraki froze. He saw him remain still and shudder. From what he saw, he did not blame him either. At the other end of the floor, was a grand office for the building's size. Bodies of the loan shark's security lay strewn about with bullet wounds on their backs, raising his suspicions. There, inside the grand office, was the body of Albert King, the loan shark. His corpse was strung up on the wall with a gaping hole in his torso.

"It's him," he heard Shigaraki blurt out. "There's no doubt about it. It's him."

He was pointing at King's body. "That was the same guy who punched a hole in the Noumu."

Hearing this, Kurogiri became alert. While the person who had struck Shigaraki had green hair, there was a possibility that were more who had a Quirk like him, no matter how unlikely. He motioned for Shigaraki to get behind him, preparing to warp them back at moment's notice.

"Hm? It's not like me to leave anyone alive once I set my mind to it. Did you happen to walk in here by any chance?"

Kurogiri snapped around and put his guard up. Where did he come from? Before him, was a lanky man with pink hair. He wore a scowl that promised death to anyone that saw it. However, his tone sounded genuine in his confusion.

"I'm afraid so. We were simply investigating the noise. We're from the building next door. However, seeing your 'handiwork', would you be interested in joining the League of Villains?"

He had no idea why he said that. Maybe it was the first thing that came to his mind but the emerald eyes that bore into his soul unnerved him to the point that he could not think of anything on the spot. Kurogiri was no stranger to crime but the man that stood there had the look of a man who lived his entire life inflicting terror. Hence, his jumpiness when the man began to laugh.

"A recruitment offer? Is that your plea for your life? Normally I'd leave no witnesses but that is the first I've ever heard someone offer me a job! Fine then. I'll consider it. However, don't think it as a serious consideration because I would rather die than serve under a group who calls themselves with such a corny name."

If Shigaraki took any offense to that, he did not show it, much to Kurogiri's relief. His Quirk and Shigaraki's were powerful and could be enough to overpower the man threatening them but his subconscious told him that this might not be the best idea. But arrogance was certainly present in the man.

"However, that corny name is familiar to me. You were the ones who had dared attack the school, are you not?"

The man's eyes seemed to glint as an apparition phased into existence behind him. The anger and hatred that emanated from the apparition's scowl sent alarms ringing in Kurogiri's mind. He could understand if he had a similar Quirk but the exact same one? That made no sense! This man and the man who foiled their USJ operation were different people. Green-hair and pink-hair, student and non-student. Yet, the apparition was the same.

"In that case, two birds with one stone it is. I get to eliminate witnesses and kill those who dared touch me! [King Crimson]!"

Almost as soon as he said that, Kurogiri suddenly himself back in his bar. Shigaraki was there with him as well, looking just as confused.

"I didn't know you could warp us out that quickly."

"Neither did I. Unless something happened to bypass the few seconds needed for me change forms."

A wry grin formed on Shigaraki's face.

"We found him. The glitch Quirk man."

"Should we report this to Sensei, Shigaraki?"

Shigaraki's brows furrowed. He appeared to contemplate this. Kurogiri, thinking himself as a person who knows the self-proclaimed mastermind of the League of Villains enough to guess his thought process, gave a shot at pre-emptive reasoning.

"True, we should. After all, he shows interest in the man. However, he had not given us explicit orders on how to deal with him nor has he told us that we could not interact with him. Besides, you're probably itching to meet him again. So, taking into consideration your recent recovery and breakout from prison, I highly suggest holding off from reporting until tomorrow and continue resting."

Judging by Shigaraki's speechlessness, he was right on the money. There was another reason why he wanted to discourage him from making a move and that had to do with his hospitalisation. The online community and the media were beginning to make the connection between him and the former No.1 Hero. No doubt All Might would have connected the dots already. He had also heard that there had been another break-in at UA High, which suggested that this mysterious figure attracted other parties outside of Sensei's jurisdiction.

Was the Yakuza? A secret government organisation? An international organisation? He had no clue. His job was warping in and warping out. Extraction. But, seeing Shigaraki slink back upstairs, he became aware of how alone he was in his contemplation. So, he picked up Takumi's empty glass, rinsed it with water and got to work wiping it.