Within the League of Villains base, I drink glass of milk after glass after glass after glass.

Most people drink alcohol when they're depressed.

But since I have an aversion to alcohol, I wallow with milk in a wine glass, because wine glasses simply have a different feeling to them.

Just what did I do wrong?

This question has been bothering me since the farewell party. I know I've done so many terrible things, my conscience reminds me of it every hour. But I don't know how I erred when Shouto-kun pushed me back and stared at me with shock. The loss of the warmth of his hands from my face and body against mine was immediate, and I was left feeling dissatisfied. It was only his touch that did not repulse me. He was standing as far as he could and hastened to speak. "Um … Something came up. It's urgent. Sorry … Selene-chan, but I have to go." And before I could reply, he turned around and jogged into the forest. I wanted to call out to him, to tell him that he didn't know the way back. I wanted to know why his countenance changed so suddenly. He had given a weak excuse, and he hesitated saying my name. I knew I had done something, but I could not ask. I summoned my courage to tell him a secret, and this was the consequence.

When I returned to the Hanada manor, I had written all about the night in my diary. My surprise at seeing him, my wariness when revealing my lie, my joy at our playfulness, my shyness when he adorned my hair, my panic when my eardrums nearly ruptured, my tranquility when we shared peaceful silence, and - writing about this part made my cheeks flare scarlet - my desire when we danced. I liked being held so tightly against him. I loved how he caressed me with such tenderness. He did not want to let me go, and that possessiveness was so endearing. I read the entry again and again. I have every word memorized by heart. All the romantic fantasies I had read about in my novels transformed into a reality. How could I not revere such a moment? It was magic. But like all magic, it must come to an end. Our lips were barely touching when something shifted in his eyes. Stormy grey and turquoise blue … the colors of earth and water, but the emotion in them was identical. If only I could put a name to that emotion. Then perhaps I would know why he shoved me.

But he's been giving mixed signals since then. Sometimes he talks to me normally, other times he avoids my gaze completely. I do not know how to broach this subject without straining our relationship any more than it is now.

I'm so lost in my thoughts that when Shigaraki speaks, I almost drop my glass.

"Please tell me that serious face means that you're thinking how to get more villains to join our little club," he says as he sits on the bar stool beside me. "Now that you don't have to slaughter anyone else in England, and I don't have to deal with the damn time difference or tag along with you, you should have plenty of free time to devote to the League."

Right. That is one of our unresolved issues. "We could spread some rumors around. Entice them to join us by pretending we launched a successful attack on a Pro-Hero."

He scoffs, "The public already made up rumors about the League and that douche Stain. A Pro-Hero was killed. We thought that it would bring a mass of villains at our door. But nearly half a year has gone by. NO. SUCCESS. Got any other brilliant ideas?" I frown as he puts a plaster hand to cover his face and retrieves something from his trouser pocket. It is a picture of Midoriya-san from the Sports Festival. "And it's all due to this little twat," he mutters.

I sigh, not willing to fight. "You're more impatient than usual when you don't have liquor in your hands. Kurogiri, please pass me that bottle of wine."

Just as I start to unscrew the bottle cap, the entrance to the bar opens. The unpleasant face of someone who I would rather not see for the remaining years of my life appears. Giran. Once my chauffeur, then a broker who introduced me to the League of Villains. He enters with a smile and a burning cigarette between his teeth. He removes it and speaks. "You've been the talk of the town for days on end. Everybody's buzzing over how something huge is about to happen." The cap pops off and flies, hitting Giran's nose. His glasses tumble to the ground, and he rubs at his now red nose. "Hey! I'm bringing good news, and you thank me with a bruise!"

"I wish I could say I am sorry, but that would be a lie," I reply cheekily.

"Wait! Is that the newest brand of wine? The one that arrived in the market just two days ago? Well, lucky me. Wine is the perfect gift because I brought new applicants tonight."

Shigaraki crumples the picture, and when he opens his fist, dust flutters down. "So, who're they?" he inquires.

Giran steps aside as two villains step in: a male and a female. The female is around my age, probably a year or two older. With ash-blonde hair in two unruly buns by her temples and golden eyes, pupils slitted like those of a sly cat, she smiles maniacally as her hands shake up and down in excitement. Her smile reveals unmistakable longer and sharper canines. I am taken aback by her school uniform and shoes, but then I remind myself that I am also a school student and a villain, so who am I to be surprised? But if this girl is sunny and yellow, then the man next to her is her polar opposite. He seems to be in his early to mid-twenties with black, spiky hair. Wearing a tattered dark jacket and trousers with a loose white shirt and leather belt, he puts his hands in his pockets and raises his head high. From his vivid turquoise eyes, it is evident how disappointed he is at the sight in front of him. But most prominent are the purple scars riddling his body in patches. Wrinkled, gnarled scar tissue below his eyes, around his mouth and neck, on his arms and ankles. The tissue is attached to his skin by silver rings. He would look hideous to others, but he seems more intriguing to me. I try not to stare out of respect. My gaze lands on his three nose piercings and the series of those same rings on his ears. This man is dark and black.

But I am shamelessly stunned when I learn that he has a husky voice. Never would I have associated a man like him to have a voice like that. "Seeing you in the flesh … you look creepy as hell," he comments just as the girl exclaims, "Whoa! You're a buddy of the Great Stainy, right, hand dude? Tell me you are!" There's no doubt as to whom they are talking to. I glance at Shigaraki. With the hand covering his face, I cannot be sure. But I would bet whatever remains of my soul that his glare of dissatisfaction rivals that of the scarred man.

"Let me join, too! Let me join the villain alliance!" the girl continues to shriek as that mad grin never leaves her face.

Shigaraki grumbles and points a dry finger at them. "Blackmist, fling these fuckers off somewhere. It seems like the two types I hate the most came as a goddamn set. A snot-nosed little shit and some asshole who doesn't understand respect." I have to hand it to the girl to not be fazed by an insult. The man, however, smirks, like he knows what Shigaraki said was the truth and doesn't care in the slightest.

Never mind. The girl is fazed. Her energetic hand motions stop immediately, and she asks puzzled, "Say what?"

Kurogiri tries to calm the tension as he stands behind the bar counter. "Now, now. Our guests went through all the trouble of coming here. If nothing else, let us at least hear what they have to say, Shigaraki Tomura. Besides, this broker's name carries weight." Giran puffs his cigarette with glee. "And the folk that he introduces should prove strategically advantageous." Kurogiri quickly glances at me, and Shigaraki follows it.

"Yo! I don't care what you end up doing, Mr. Blackmist. Just cough up the service charge, would ya?" Giran tries to brush off the praise, although he clearly likes the attention. He steps away from the door to stand between the two arrivals. "And you might as well listen to their introductions." He points to the grinning girl. "First up, this cute little high school girl. The media is keeping her name and face under thorough wraps as she's on the run as the suspect for serial blood-draining murders."

"My name's Toga!" she bursts out happily. "Himiko Toga! Life is hard! And I'd like for a world that's easier to live in!" Well, you're not wrong there. Her next words, though, are more thought-provoking. "I wanna become the Great Stainy! I wanna kill Stainy! So c'mon, let me join Tomura!" She even blushes with enthusiasm.

Shigaraki is not impressed. "I have no idea what you just said," he comments. "You a loon or what?"

Giran laughs it off. "Don't worry. She can hold a conversation, more or less. She'll surely come in handy." Then he shifts his attention and pats the scarred man's back. "Next up, this man here has committed no crimes that have stood out, but he's taken to the Hero Killer's ideals quite a bit."

The man narrows his eyes and frowns. "I don't know about this. Does this group really follow a cause?" We do. It is simply a very time-consuming and tiresome one. "You're not actually going to let this insane chick join, are you?"

"Whoa, buddy!" Shigaraki interrupts. "Even the batshit crazy little shit over there managed to spit out her name. You're a proper adult, aren't you?"

"Right now, I go by 'Dabi,'" the man replies with a slouched, bored posture.

It's not enough for Shigaraki, and admittedly, I am not too pleased with the response either. He scolds, "I don't want what you go by, I want your real name."

Dabi-san dismisses him. "I'll tell you when I need to. In any case, I'll be the one to fulfill the Hero Killer's will." A subtle energy underlies his voice then.

Shigaraki steps off the stool and stands up. That is when I know his temper has been enraged. It will not ease without a fight. Not willing to be a victim of his wrath - and also craving a little drama outside my love life - I sip more milk from my wine glass and watch. "There's no need to run your mouth about shit I never asked you," he grumbles. "Will anybody shut up about Stain already? Stain this … Stain that …" Kurogiri ushers him to calm down, but it is futile. Shigaraki lifts his head and glares at the two arrivals with bloodshot eyes through the spaces of the plaster hand. He rasps, "I'm not feeling this. No! Not at all!" He charges forward, both hands outstretched, just as a malicious light flicks in the arrivals' eyes.

Dabi-san raises an arm, too, and Himiko-san pulls out a knife. I brace myself for the bloodbath that will occur just a meter from my face. As long as nothing contaminates my milk, everything is fine. But all of a sudden, several small warp gates appear in the air. The arms that each villain extended now protrudes midair, detached from their owners' bodies like scattered toys. I almost laugh at the comical sight. Himiko-san's knife is embedded in the wooden floor, and hands are poised to strike.

"Please calm yourself, Shigaraki Tomura," Kurogiri repeats, never vanishing the portals. "If you truly desire to carry out what you wish, then the expansion of our organization is indispensable." Rather, he extends himself into a roiling black cloud that surrounds Shigaraki, stopping just by his ear. He whispers so low, I have to strain my ears to listen. "And, odd though it may seem, our opportunity to expand is now. After all, at that moment, all eyes are on us. Do not reject out of hand, receive them, Shigaraki Tomura. If you don't make use of them, then everything, including everything he left us, will-"

"Shut up!" Shigaraki shouts as he withdraws his hands from the portals. That reminds me, All for One has been quiet this entire time. Is he only going to speak once the matter is resolved? Like he did when I was first recruited? My thoughts are distracted, but my attention returns to the present when Shigaraki storms out the open door without a second glance. Giran tries to call out to him, but he responds with another "Shut up!"

Dabi-san and Himiko-san extract their arms, too, and Kurogiri dissipates the warp gates. With another puff, Giran speaks. "Well, anyway, I don't wanna say this about a client, but he's young. Too young."

"I thought I was gonna get killed!" Himiko-san shrieks with too much eagerness given the statement, and Dabi-san mutters, "Creepy motherfucker."

Can no one speak two sentences without swearing? Honestly, it seems like only Kurogiri and I have some modicum of decent speech. Even when I insult, I become creative and don't resort to such crude phrases. Irritated, I take another sip.

Kurogiri takes it on himself to become mediator again. "Might we ask you to wait for a reply in the days to come?" he asks in that suave, sultry voice. The persuasive voice. "You see, he actually does understand, himself, what it is he ought to do. In fact, it is precisely because he understands that he left without saying a word. After All Might and the Hero Killer, he was humbled twice." More accurately, his ego was shattered, but smooth-talking is essential to defusing the situation. "I'm certain we'll come to an understanding," he continues. "Both you fine folk, and he himself. For now, let us all relax and reconvene at a later time."

"Can I have the wine, at least?" Giran has the nerve to ask. My glower should be answer enough. With a patronizing laugh, he crushes his cigarette under his shoe and exits. Kurogiri ushers Dabi-san and Himiko-san to take leave as well.

"Not so fast," Dabi-san argues. "We know your names, and you know the names we want to be called. But who the fuck are you?" He and Himiko-san finally notice me. The girl ogles at me with fascination, and the man studies me with disdain. Under their scrutiny, I want to pull the robe of my nightgown tighter around myself, but I resist the urge.

Take a deep breath, Selene. I pointedly ignore both of them and finish my glass of milk. Leisurely. "Kurogiri, may I have some more?"

"But you've already finished half the bottle."

"Please? I'll clean the dishes afterward."

I can feel his smile as he fills my glass with more of that sweet white liquid.

"You're not deaf or mute. So answer the question. Who the fuck are you?" Dabi-san hisses.

I rest my elbow against the counter and lean my head against my hand. I take another sip while observing them coolly. "Ask the same question more politely, and perhaps I will oblige."

"Selene," Kurogiri warns, just as the glint of murder appears in the villains' eyes.

"Why did you have to ruin the moment like that, Kurogiri?" I protest. I huff at the villains. "My real name is Hanada Selene. Hero name is Lucifer. Villain name is Morningstar."

Himiko-san squeals in delight. "Oooooh, a pretty girl with a pretty name. I think I've heard of you before. You're the daughter of that corporate, right? I've seen pictures of you. A pretty girl like you must have delicious blood." I'm so stunned by her words that I don't notice when she has bridged the distance between us and has lifted my wrist to her mouth. Her fangs shine in the lamplight. "You're scarred, too. That means you've bled a lot, haven't you? I want a taste. Please?"

This vampire is not going to slit my throat if I refuse, will she? My find rapidly fires through possible responses to escape this predicament, politely. But Dabi-san distracts her. "Hey, you bloodthirsty chick. She's not going to answer our questions if you kill her. Back off."

"What if I drink your blood instead?" she asks.

Blue flames alight in his palm, which only excite the girl more, but she drops my wrist and stands aside. Then he focuses on me. It does not escape me that small ball of fire does not extinguish. "I saw you in the Sports Festival footage. You were the one showed off like a damn peacock. Why is a rich girl like you, one attending fucking U.A., with this bunch? And what's up with the hero and villain names?"

"If Shigaraki approves of you joining the League, then I'll happily answer all your questions."

That blue fire comes close to face.

I do not flinch. I will not flinch.

"You'll answer them now," he threatens.

When I do not respond, the ball expands in size and comes at my face. I ready myself with a burst of water at my fingertips. But Kurogiri's portal separates us, and again, Dabi-san's hand appears in midair in some other corner of the bar.

"I suggest it is time for all of us to retreat," Kurogiri says.

Dabi-san sneers, and Himiko-san waves a cheerful goodbye, promising that I'm not safe from her bloodlust.

When they leave, Kurogiri scolds me. "Why did you have to spark a fire that had taken me much effort to burn out?"

"They were being rude to me," I defend.

"No more milk for you, tonight."

"What? Why am I being punished for their impoliteness!"

"You will also wash all the dishes for tonight and the rest of the week."

My eyes widen in astonishment, and he dares to me protest.

"Fine," I mutter.

"Say it clearly."

"Yes, Father dearest."

Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The link to the chapters are here:

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-67/

.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-68/