【ＮＥＧＡＴＩＶＥ ＯＮＥ】

²⁰ᴍᴇᴇᴛ ᴀɴᴅ ʙᴇ ꜰᴇꜱᴛɪᴠᴇ ᴘᴀʀᴛ ²

The kid didn't look like much in Stain's eyes, but that could just be because he kind of snuck up on him like this.

The apartment's interior looked clean and tidy with a minor exception being the desk the young villain was using. The notebook he was just using was nearly thrown off the table from Midoriya turning so quickly at the sound he made. He's also not dressed for a confrontation, only having on a simple white shirt with the word (Stain had to squint a little to read it.) "Shirt" written on it and black shorts.

He looked ridiculous but at least the kid had good instincts.

Stain could see the hand holding the gun slightly shaking, the breeze entering from the open window only making the room seem colder than it already felt.

Neither move nor speak, they just stare for a while, one scared and the other unreadable.

Slowly, very slowly, Midoriya reaches back and mutes the laptop from behind him, and lowers the shock gun.

And because the shock gun probably won't help him live if Stain wanted to kill him.

"You're pretty hard to find for a newbie." Stain starts, causing Midoriya to jump a little. "Honestly didn't expect you to be the type to go underground and keep quiet after that big spectacle you caused to take out Ingenium."

No visible confusion in the kid's eyes, but that may just be because he's trying to hide it.

The connection isn't apparent at first glance, a lot of people might not ever even see the connection between the young villain and the now-dead hero, but when it comes to killing heroes, barely anyone has Stain's experience.

There was barely any evidence left behind at the site of the murder other than the body and some slight residue of the bombs used.

But Stain has an in with the underworld of Japan, he's lived in it for a long time. He just had to ask the right questions to the right people, investigate a few leads and rumors, and a trail, no matter how small, can be followed.

Midoriya covered his tracks well, but not well enough.

After another minute of silence, Midoriya summoned the courage to say something.

Shifting from foot to foot, Midoriya shakily waves his hand towards the apartment. "So, here I am. Why were you looking for me?"

/

"You didn't answer my question, why are you here?"

Stain is not a man that can be caught off guard easily. In the villain world, if you're not careful, you're going to get killed. He's had years to prepare for every eventuality, he's had victories and defeats by the dozens and every one of those had taught him a lesson.

Move fast on your feet both in and out of combat, never go out unprepared, always know the abilities of your targets, and never let your guard down.

Those were just a few of the lessons he's learned throughout the years and he's put them to good use. He's one of the longest-running villains walking around since the appearance of All Might, and all that can be contributed to his skills.

And one of the things he's learned to do is how to gauge how dangerous someone is through looks alone.

Looking at the skull-masked villain in front of him, Stain can immediately tell that Viktor is one of the most dangerous men he's ever met.

The flippant, unserious attitude, exaggerated movements, and casual greeting all scream confidence, not misplaced confidence, but assured confidence. The kind of confidence you could have if you were certain that you could afford not to take things seriously.