A portal of black mist appeared at the lounge of the League of Villains' hideout, and out came the members just coming from a recently finished mission.
"Welcome back, everyone." Kurogiri, the only one left behind at the hotel hideout, greeted the members, who also greeted him back with varying levels of enthusiasm and casualness.
"The chefs have already prepared your meals and are awaiting for all of you at the restaurant." Kurogiri informed all of them before looking over to Tenko to refer to him directly, "Just like you had instructed."
"And my food?" Tenko asked the Nomu.
"Will be brought to your room shortly." Kurogiri answered.
Upon hearing that Tenko wouldn't be joining them at the restaurant however, a few of the members immediately reacted.
"Hm? You won't be joining us? Why?" Atsuhiro (Mr. Compress) asked.
"This is a victory-- your victory, Shigaraki! You should eat and celebrate with us!" Kenji (Magne) cheerfully exclaimed and urged her leader, but it didn't seem like their league's leader could be convinced.
"I have a few other tasks and some preparations I need to tend to today. I'm sorry. Maybe another time." Tenko briefly answered before turning towards the doors leading to the hallway and heading to leave.
"But please, go ahead and enjoy the rest of the day." Tenko said in a neutral tone before opening the doors and heading into the hallway.
As Tenko walked away however, unknown to his knowledge, a certain member of his league kept his gaze on him as that member remembered how Tomura used to act before.
How much more open to them and cheerful Tomura used to be.
"He really is different." Jin (Twice) noted in a whisper as the doors finally closed behind Tenko.
Even though Jin had made sure to say what he said in a whisper, the other members of the league still heard what he said and they all looked at him with confusion.
"'Different'? Who's different? Tomura?" Atsuhiro (Mr. Compress) asked Jin before turning his gaze towards the doors that Tenko left through.
"Oh yeah~" Himiko interjected, "You also said something similar earlier, didn't you, Jintan? What did you mean by that?"
"Toga-chan, I made a clone of Tomura earlier, right? Well, that clone is actually from when I measured him when I first became a member of the league-- no, I think it was a little after that, maybe nearing three months ago now. And there's a huge difference between him and Tomura now." Jin explained.
"The clone seems to smile a lot more even under his mask, and seems a lot more cheerful. Our Tomura right now though..." Jin's voice trailed off at the end, causing the members to ponder what he was trying to say.
"I dunno, he seems more gloomy and more distant towards us." Jin finished his previous sentence before adding, "Even though he still treats us as great as before and he's still as casual and friendly, I just feel like he's been putting some distance between us and him. He even seems... more cold."
"It's been like this ever since he came back from his two-week disappearance." Jin had observed.
The other members of the league had previously also noticed the sudden change in their leader's behavior over the past weeks but they all seemingly have just brushed it off and heeded it no mind, but looking back now, should they have put more attention to it?
"But couldn't this just be a result of stress? Maybe the workload has been slowly getting to him?" Kenji (Magne) speculated to which Dabi could only scoff.
"If you really believe that, then you are gravely underestimating that guy." Dabi sneered.
"That guy is supposed to be All for One's successor, he wouldn't be doing a shit job since he had that title. He's supposed to be daddy's perfect little successor, after all. If I were to guess what's the reason for whatever you guys think is wrong with him, it's probably something in his personal life, but don't quote me on that."
Dabi then turned on his heel and began walking towards the doors that head to the restaurant, "Anyways, I'll be downstairs eating if anyone needs me. I'm starving."
And like that, the purple graft-covered man left the room, leaving the remaining members a little more confused than they were before.
"Something in Tomura's personal life?" Kenji asked as she scratched the side of her head, "Tomura has a personal life? That's news. He struck me as a guy whose villain life is his personal life. How would his personal life be going then? What does his personal life look like?" She pondered.
Shuichi's eyes widened however as Kenji asked all those questions, and he immediately spoke to try and divert the attentions of the league away from the thought of Tomura's personal life.
"I-I think Dabi is just screwing around. You know he and Tomura has a small rivalry going on, he's probably trying to get back at him by saying all that and making us all think." He told them.
"Ha?" Kenji narrowed her eyes at Shuichi, "And just what would that do? Make us think that Tomura has a secret girlfriend or boyfriend that he sees whenever he's not with the league? And that they're currently having an argument, that's why he's acting like this? Even if it is the case that Dabi is trying to plant ideas in our minds, there's just no way Tomura would have a secret love life like that."
"H-how did you even come up with Tomura having a lover?! How can you see Tomura having any sort of romantic relationship with anyone?! It's unimaginable!" Shuichi exclaimed.
But then Atsuhiro interjected, "Actually, I can kind of imagine it. Tomura doesn't like to keep his hair neatly nor does he wear presentable clothes while he's just staying here, but he has a handsome face. If he tidies up his hair and wears passable casual clothes, he can probably get a date or two from a couple of girls."
"Ooh~ I can imagine it too~" Himiko commented as well before licking and wetting her lips.
"W-wha-- Sako-san, Toga-san, you're not helping!" Shuichi exclaimed in disappointment, "And that's not what I meant by Tomura being in a relationship unimaginable! I meant that he's too focused and too busy with the league to even go out on dates! That's why it's unimaginable for him to be in a relationship with anyone! He isn't in any relationship! And like I said, Tomura's change in behavior probably isn't because of personal issues or reasons. Dabi was probably just kidding about that part."
Atsuhiro simply hummed after Shuichi's whole assertion, then he told them, "Well, there is a way to know whether or not that is true." Before turning his gaze over to Kurogiri who had just stayed silent during the whole conversation.
"You," Atsuhiro referred to Kurogiri, "You know the reason for Tomura's sudden gloom, right? Can you tell us? Is it because of any personal issues like Dabi suggested?"
Kurogiri just stared at the masked man before squinting his golden eyes and responding, "There is no particular reason for Tomura's behavior. And they're certainly not because of any kind of personal issues. Dabi was simply saying a throwaway statement."
"Hm, so it's really not because of love troubles?" Kenji asked, a little dismayed, which immediately earned her a reaction from Shuichi.
"Mag-nee, stop it!" Shuichi scolded her, making the owner of the Magnetism Quirk chuckle.
Then Kurogiri added, just as a precaution, "And even if there is such a reason for the shift, I suggest that none of you push him for answers or try to push through the boundary he has established. I have a feeling that it would only cause him to widen that distance you have already noticed."
"Please keep in mind that there is a line one should remember never to cross when it comes to my masters." Kurogiri warned all of them in an ominous tone, before shifting his gaze ever so slightly towards the direction of Shuichi.
The room suddenly went silent after Kurogiri's warning. They weren't expecting the man to suddenly use such a threatening tone on them. But they just supposed that Kurogiri was probably only being protective of Tomura.
He has been serving Tomura and All for One for so many years already, and he seemed to have grown close to their leader, so they understood where he was coming from.
Another moment then passed before Kurogiri suddenly put his hands together to a clap and told the league members in a cheerful tone, "Now then, shall you all head downstairs for lunch? I'm sure you're all hungry already."
The members of the league didn't deny the Nomu's statement, even shrugging and commenting finally, before getting up from their seats and unloading their equipments from their bodies. They all then began heading towards the restaurant downstairs to finally eat.
As they made their way to the restaurant however, Kurogiri's gaze was locked onto Shuichi as he walked behind the rest of the members, his golden eyes slightly furrowed as he grew suspicious of the pink-haired lizard after his actions earlier.
Kurogiri's eyes squinted slightly as he thought back to Shuichi's suspicious defensiveness of Tenko, and his adamant denial, or rather, rebuttal of the existence of Tenko's private life.
It wouldn't have made sense for the lizard man to have acted like that unless he knows something he shouldn't, which he definitely does.
But the real questions now are, How much does he know, and when did he find out?
---
NOTES: Ah yes. Casually speculating about your boss' private and personal life. Just a normal day at the hideout of the League of Villains, the currently most wanted villain group in the whole of Japan. :| (note the sarcasm)
This chapter was initially supposed to be the first half or first third of a longer chapter that also included a check back on Izuku's current state, but the more I thought about it, the more I realized that structure would've felt like it would be dragging on too long, so I decided to chop that longer chapter. I hope you guys don't mind.
Look forward to seeing Izuku next chapter though! :9