The impending meeting with Daruma-san was the entire reason I got involved in this mess.
Now that Gigantomachia has acknowledged Shigaraki, this is the last task to finish.
Shigaraki heads inside the conference room, leaving me to reflect on the past in the private waiting area.
Shortly after Re-Destro conceded and the League of Villains reconvened, black sludge spilled from our mouths. We were transported to Jaku Hospital: Daruma-san's legal cover to hide his covert activities. By pulling some strings and silencing some mouths, the entire medical staff was assigned to heal us quickly. Especially me.
What I had told Shouto was a half-truth. Yes, I was to perform in front of my to be in-laws; no, that was not the main reason for my arthritic flares. Hanada-sama had simply told me to be present by evening, and I was cutting it close with my injuries. The doctors tended to my feet, while the nurses attended to the lacerations. Little by little, scar tissue covered the wounds. They injected me with a solution to provide a temporary burst of strength and sent me on my way.
The next night, while Shouto was asleep, I had to return to Deika City. It was a rendezvous point - simply a place to get in the van and drive in the secrecy of the dark. The actual congregation happened somewhere else.
My comrades, Re-Destro, the politician, an ice-ability boy, and an eccentric, software genius were inside. Everyone cleaned up well. The purpose of this midnight meeting was to announce an alliance between the League of Villains and the Meta Liberation Army: the Paranormal Liberation Front. Everyone sitting in the van would be a pivotal figure in this new organization. However, I was given a choice.
Re-Destro gave me two options: the first, I remain in the dark and conduct my activities as a spy; the second, I expose myself as the hidden ace-up-the-sleeve to invoke fear and order. By the cadence of his voice, it was obvious that he wanted me to choose the second. Shigaraki, from the corner of my eye, frowned at the same suggestion.
If I accepted Re-Destro's offer, then he would have been granted some measure of control over the League. Taking advantage of my young age and disability, he would prepare to seize ownership of the Liberation Front. After all, no man worth his pride could accept complete defeat. Sucking up to Shigaraki was a farce. However, if I chose Shigaraki's preference, he would likely continue issuing new commands for me to follow while withholding important information. I believed he still held a grudge for when I kept One for All a secret.
In both cases, two powerful men would suppress me.
And I had endured enough suppression for a lifetime.
So I did what I knew best: negotiate.
"I have been serving as a spy for the League since its initiation. Revealing my identity poses a threat both to the Front and me. The fact that the Army successfully did so makes it all the more apparent. Yet I cannot sit idly by after having to have engaged in battle myself. The deaths of your priestess compatriot and her followers have made it so.
"So here's my proposition: no one outside this van learns about my name and face. In exchange, I continue reporting the heroes' movements …," I glanced at Shigaraki, "and I organize a partnership between the Detnerat Company and the Hanada Group of Companies," I looked at Re-Destro.
Both conflicting parties should have been appeased, and I should have avoided turning from an ace to a pawn.
To my surprise, Shigaraki chuckled hoarsely. He opened his palm. "Pay up, guys. You lost the bet."
I gazed at everyone in confusion. Here I was trying to prevent a tentative alliance from breaking, yet these imbeciles were passing money around.
The ice-quirk boy answered my unspoken question. "These two made a bet about what you would choose. Lizard dude said that you would go with being publicly known because being a spy must have made you frustrated. Split personality guy put his money on espionage. Grand Commander put out a third idea: you would strike a deal." The boy pulled out a wad of cash out of his winter jacket and slammed it onto Shigaraki's palm. "Well, he was right about you."
I hoped that Shigaraki could feel the frigidity of my glare as he properly folded each note and pocketed them. If he did, then he did not express it.
We arrived at an isolated building and descended its steps into an underground auditorium. Gigantomachia was there along without a substantial number of survivors. It should not have shocked me because the former Army boasted of having more than 116,000 members. But I could not help wondering how easily the tables could have turned on us. It still could.
The future lieutenants of the Paranormal Liberation Front stepped into the light while I watched from the shadows. Though Shigaraki sustained critical damage during the battle, it only amplified his menacing aura.
Speeches were given, the new name for the organization was announced, unity was restored.
And although the genius - Skeptic, I learned was his name - edited the footage of the battle to craft a story to the media, it was undoubtable that the villains were a formidable force now. History will have written off the fall of Deika City as a failure of society, while the actual culprits unify and organize under the heroes' noses.
The gathering ended. Everyone returned to assume their duties. Shigaraki told me to be ready to meet with Daruma-san any time before he retreated to his new and furnished room.
Well, that time has come now.
Good.
Because as many questions the Doctor may have for me, I have more for him.
Shigaraki comes out of the room and beckons me to come inside. Sparing a moment to smooth my waistcoat, I do as he says and finally meet the man who claims to be our mysterious ally.
Daruma-san is a very unassuming man. Short, bald, elderly, round-bellied man. He would look like the average sweet old man taking a stroll in the park if not for his goggles and bushy mustache. If the phrase 'mad scientist' could be applied to anyone, it would be him.
But who am I to judge appearances? I care about getting answers.
"Welcome, welcome!" he cheers. "Take a seat!"
Only three of us with a ten-person conference table in the room. It is a test.
Both Daruma-san and Shigaraki are setting in perpendicular seats of the table. To observe both their reactions, I pull out the seat opposite Shigaraki's and perpendicular to Daruma-san's. I receive a raised eyebrow from Shigaraki and a hum of approval from Daruma-san.
If you are going to test me, let me return the favor.
I lounge back in my seat like a cat taking a stretch. The regular, unobservant person would seize this opportunity to focus on my chest more than on my words. I must gauge Daruma-san's impression of me: a pretty girl or a clever one. His stare never drops from my face.
All right, then. You pass.
"Would you like something to drink? I imagine this conversation is going to take some time, and I have some things I would like to show you!"
Shigaraki meets my gaze and nods surreptitiously. A silent confirmation of my doubts: he has no idea what this meeting is for, either. The best course of action in such a scenario is to play along until we get useful information.
I paint a gleeful smile. "Hot chocolate would be wonderful!"
"Barley tea," mutters Shigaraki.
Shortly after, both drinks arrive with an assortment of refreshments. It does not escape my notice that Daruma-san takes nothing for himself. Instead, he makes small talk while we finish. His caprice disturbs me. On the one hand, he was All for One's faithful servant, promised to gift his decades worth of research to us, and treated us free of charge; on the other hand, his behavior is too suspicious. I would like to believe he is an ally, but I cannot drop my guard.
Or maybe this line of work has taught me to be wary of everyone.
Shigaraki trusts this man, and I trust him. So for now, I will go with his intuition.
I wonder how to shift the conversation to the matter at hand, but I do not need to. The moment Shigaraki and I set our cups down, Daruma-san changes the subject abruptly.
"The main reason I wanted to meet with you, Selene, is because you possess a fragment of One for All." Pent-up tension exits my body in the form of a long sigh as Shigaraki narrows his gaze in attention.
"You said 'main.' What are your other motives?" I ask.
Daruma-san chuckles like a hearty old man. "Concise, aren't you? I like it. I would also like to speak to you about the quirk bullets you guys got from the Shie Hassaikai and how you fended off your assailants in Deika City."
He knows more than I thought he would … I clasp my hands together on the desk and level Daruma-san a firm stare. He only looks like a sweet grandpa; he is not one in actuality. I cannot make that mistake. So I speak to him as Morningstar, the schemer. "Here is how this is going to go: for every question you pose, I will answer faithfully. In return, you answer mine just as truthfully." He opens his mouth to protest. I raise a hand. "From what Shigaraki and the rest have told me, you do not like to disclose much about yourself. I will not ask personal questions about you because my motives are much the same as yours. Do we have an understanding?" He nods. I turn toward Shigaraki. "Now is a good time to state any requests."
Shigaraki shakes his head. "The Doctor already knows what I desire, and he is willing to give it. I am simply here as a witness."
Daruma-san wastes no time to present his first question. "What happened during your fight?"
I narrate all that I can recall. Which is everything. The pyre, the priestess, the manacles. The headache, its disappearance, and hyperawareness. A surge of power in my absorbed abilities and the slaughter I achieved with it. The katana. Then the traumatic load once I was done. Daruma-san scribbles every word on a notepad intently. I cannot deduce what he is searching for in my tale.
"Did you consume something before your fight?" he asks next.
I turn toward Shigaraki for his assistance. His expression remains impassive. So I scour my memories of that day. "Breakfast in the morning … some fruit for lunch … milk just prior to Re-Destro's phone call … Oh, I felt a panic attack oncoming, so Shigaraki gave me an inhaler. But no. I don't think I took anything that could have heightened my quirks."
Daruma-san lets out a tsk sound that really irritates me. "Oh, but you did. The inhaler. It contained more than just bronchodilator chemicals. I ground up some of the quirk enhancing drug created by the Shie Hassaikai and mixed it into the inhaler."
What?
I demand an explanation from Shigaraki. His silence tells me all that I need to know. Now that secrets are being laid out, he so conveniently chooses to remain silent. Witness, my foot! I'll make you speak up soon! I have to fight to keep my voice in control. "Why and how?"
He goes on to detail how after the initial meeting between him and the League, he asked to be sent a sample of the bullets. Intellectual curiosity, he called it. So Shigaraki lent him one enhancer and one destroyer bullet. News reporters wrote that cheap versions were being sold on the black market; their effectiveness was short-lived, and their aftereffects were ugly. To observe the behavior of the symptoms were, Daruma-san needed a guinea pig. Of course, no one would willingly consume such harmful drugs. So he thought about testing just a little bit covertly on someone who may need desperately need it. "Who better than a girl who had yet to gain some on-site battle experience!" he jeers. "Thank you for providing me such useful data! I can begin advancing the bullets now."
I'm seething inside. So much for being an ace and not a pawn. Shigaraki's impassivity grates at me. "Did you know about this?" I speak coldly.
A moment passes.
"Yeah."
I have to lean back and pinch the bridge of my nose. Otherwise, I may end up doing something I regret later.
Daruma-san misunderstands my fury for shame. "No, no, no. Don't be upset, Selene. It was for the good of science. These bullets are revolutionary, and with just the right advancements, they can become a potent weapon of the Paranormal Liberation Front!"
His enthusiasm appalls me. "Doctor, maybe this was not the clear the first time, so I will say it again. I. Nearly. Died. All the efforts that the League put into me could have gone to waste just like that. And you, Shigaraki! How could you?"
Shigaraki has no response. Daruma-san, however, has the most obnoxious reply to my question: "But you didn't die. All is well that ends well." If looks could kill, then he would be speared with icicles right now. Yet he carries on, undeterred. "Selene, did you use One For All at any point in the fight?"
" … No," I grit between clenched teeth.
He gets up and opens a secret door in the conference room. "Excellent! Follow me, you two!"
Shigaraki starts to rise, but I push him down. I whisper harshly, "You and I are not done. After this meeting, we are going to talk." My glower demands that he refute. He has the decency not to.
We step from the light into the dark. Black LED lights illuminate our path to Daruma-san. Scattered wires hang from the walls, and strewn pipes render the floor uneven. The stair passageway is narrow until it opens to a grand chamber. Chambers as tall as streetlights are arranged in distinct rows, and each emanates a mauve glow. Within the glow is a noumu. The noumu are in various states of assembly. Some small, some big, some tall, some short, some muscular, some skinny, some winged, some multi-legged. The only commonality is their enormous brain and bird beak.
Daruma-san guides to us to a private office, hidden in the cove of terror.
A single chair affixed to numerous machines is juxtaposed with the regular contents of an office. Shigaraki decides to explore, while I resolutely stand by the exit door.
I take some deep breaths to swallow my anger when Daruma-san makes a gesture of remembering something important. "I almost forgot! How did you like the sword, Selene? I made some enhancements so that the locking mechanism would open when the handle came in contact with your blood."
It shouldn't surprise me that he was the one behind the modification. "It was perfect except for the quote engraved on it." That is much as much of an appreciation I can give right now.
He has the audacity to chortle. "Pride is your fatal flaw. It was to keep you in check."
I bite my tongue down from retorting. It would only prove his point.
He mutters something about how the League immediately retrieved it from the Eight Precepts, but he wished to modify it before returning it to me. Of course. When you are willing to experiment on me, why must my prized possessions be spared? I bet our conniving Grand Commander also knew about this.
As if my accusations are finally reaching, Shigaraki veers the conversation to the so-called 'main' reason. "One for All?"
Daruma-san removes his lab jacket, revealing scrubs. "Yes, yes!" His excitement is almost palpable. "Before that, we must discuss you Shigaraki Tomura." While he adjusts a surgeon's mask, Shigaraki divests himself of his shirt. In spite of the urgent treatment, his body is riddled with fresh, dark scars.
"In the previous battle," Daruma-san speaks again. "Your quirk 'blossomed' so to speak."Despite my anger, I snort at the choice of words. Neither man pays attention. "Your decay is no longer limited to what you touch. Rather, anything connected to what you touch will decay as well. You have become destruction incarnate." He looks at me for confirmation. A curt nod is all I give.
I watch him round the central chair and control its height. "Forgive me asking," he continues. "For what reason do you seek power beyond even this?"
I admit, my curiosity is piqued. Without meaning to, I lean against the door and cross my arms and ankles.
Shigaraki replies with an astonishingly simple answer. "Well, you said you'd give me power, so I'm gonna take it." No. It is not astonishing. He has always been like this. Steadfast in his grudges and goals. I should have known better … I pause in my thought process to listen more. "Sure, I might not need your petty tricks anymore, but this power is still from unrivaled. Just look at that damn baldy! He's still up and at, isn't he?" He lifts one badly damaged arm. The injuries on it could rival my own. "Just look at this arm," he orders. "It's like this after just one time at full power. Meanwhile, how many people do you think they've got?"
Again, I do not need to ask who is 'they.' His maniacal grin tells me everything. He always used to smile like that just before he decimated everything in his path. Something changed inside him after that battle, though. It is menacing like before, but it promises a terrifying demise to anyone who dares challenge him. The only people bold enough to do that are the heroes.
He declares, "I'm not gonna underestimate them again. I'm going to crush what remains of All Might with everything I've got. The next time will be the last." He says it with such finality, such confidence, it is frightening. But I will not question this new development. I will support him the best I can.
Daruma-san is amused with the response. He details how his research was originally intended for All for One's agenda. It was founded on the idea that quirks became more convoluted yet powerful with each generation. Eventually, they would become so immense that the human body could not withstand it. The effects began manifesting some generations ago, and Shigaraki faces the same risk. His injuries are testament enough to that.
I try to analyze what this insinuates when Shigaraki beats me to it.
All traces of delight leave Daruma-san's voice.
"For the next four months, you're going to experience hell.
But when you emerge, everything will be within your grasp. Including One For All. The one and only power that All for One was not able to obtain for himself."
"Who else knows about this?" I inquire when silence has occupied the room for too long.
His head whips behind to face me. "Just us three. And that's where you come in, Selene. You are an accidental holder of One For All. Once Shigaraki's body is ready, I want you to transfer the power to him."
Oh.
I push off the door and saunder toward Shigaraki. Though my question is for Daruma-san, I don't break eye contact with Shigaraki. "What makes you think I can transfer quirks? All I have been able to do is absorb and amplify."
"Precisely! With the enhancer drug, you were able to amplify your abilities to unimaginable heights. You went so far as to melt the quirk-suppression handcuffs. Therefore, it is reasonable that you can pass on abilities to others with enough amplification."
Just like how All for One took and gave quirks.
The only difference is that he was the mastermind, and I am the pawn.
My next question is for Shigaraki. "You saw what using a smidgen of that power did to me. Are you still willing to go through with this?"
"Yeah," he replies with the diabolical smirk never leaving his face. "We can defeat All Might and his protégé with their own power. Poetic, isn't it?"
Sighing in resignation, I press no further.
Daruma-san claps his hands together.
"Selene, I heard that you were going to have your family assassinated by the end of this month. So today, I will simply perform some tests. To prepare everything for strengthening Shigaraki."
This meeting was supposed to clear my doubts.
Instead, it has filled me with more.
So much could happen within four months.
Maybe it is that worry that makes me clasp Shigaraki's hands in my own.
These hands that can decay anything and everything.
Yet I hope for life.
"Please, be careful," I whisper.
I let go and turn around before I can witness his reaction.
Note: I have copied some dialogue from one of the English-translated versions of the manga. The link to the chapter is here:
.online/manga/boku-no-hero-academia-chapter-246/