Mystery from Another World

Part 70: Universal Students

"Who is?" Wally blinked.

"He used to be known as Ouboro, but you know him as Kurogiri," Aizawa said.

"I heard about that," Shine looked sad. "He was a nomu, right?"

"He wasn't always."

"Wasn't he... like a hero before?" Wally had only gotten some vague details about it.

"He was a hero student the same time Mic and I were," Aizawa looked at his glass. "His mind has been stripped way... just the slightest bit of it was left. Enough to warn us about your... now friend. The one with the hands. Everything hinges on him, he says... apparently, Kirigiri was bred to look after him and his interests only."

"He was basically his babysitter?" Shine grimaced.

"Yes...I suppose you could call it that, all he could focus on was his will and helping him...Snaped out of it for only a second when he remembered us." Aizawa looked very sad there, though he didn't know it.

Miss Joke blinked at him sideways, she didn't fully understand it but she got enough to know it was bad.

"You know that... Face Palm guy didn't train those creatures though," Shine said grimly. "He doesn't even know how it's done, he just uses them as they're ready."

"I don't care. he was still part of it...all of it is for him, it's clear who's being set up to take the victory for them," Aizawa was bitter.

Shine was sure he had it wrong.

Not that Shigaraki wasn't being set up... but she believed in her heart that AFO was planning to take over again after Shigaraki did the hard work for him. She might have no proof, but she knew how men like that thought...she'd never been wrong about something like that in the past.

But...of course, pinning the blame on Shigaraki would keep everyone focused on him, and not on what AFO might be doing from inside prison, had they believed he could do anything.

Or on finding the psycho who must be making the nomu, who no one was identifying yet.

But she could see Aizawa was far too angry and prejudiced to believe her theory, especially without any proof.

After all, Shigaraki was the face of the LOV who'd attacked his students multiple times, and who his old friend was brainwashed to serve, it didn't matter if Shigaraki had ever wanted this for real or if it was all AFO's suggestions. She couldn't even be sure how much was AFO and how much was Shigaraki's true wishes, at this time.

She knew she didn't believe the guy who'd try to let his followers escape while he fought or took the punishment was anywhere near the same as AFO, with his selfish wish to control everything.

AFO wasn't capable of really caring for anyone else, that was clear... but she didn't have enough to go on. IT was only her feeling, it wouldn't matter to the Pros.

It was maddening, but it was not some so she could change right now.

So she put it aside.

"Well, you can hate him for it, but don't let that be the reason your students suffer," she asid aloud. "Even if he's a monster, he has limits. We just need to find them. You could help us... you have info we don't, and vice versa. They let you see Kirigiri, for one thing that could be huge."

"What he told us would not help you much," Aizawa said. "But here is not the place to discuss that part."

"Yeah, let's go," Wally agreed.

* * *

They dropped Miss Joke off at her house before going back to UA.

She was still kind of tipsy, but she wasn't too drunk to remind them to update her and be careful out there.