MHA: Time Manipulator

Chapter 54: Nezu's Web



"Himiko Toga. Age: 16 years. Quirk: Metamorphosis, which allows changing appearance thanks to... thick paste? Hmm... Wow! And on top of that, this also creates clothing, mimics voice, and appearance down to the smallest details... Very interesting! What if she could also copy quirks?" 

Nezu paused, slowly bringing his cup of favorite tea to his lips, and, taking a leisurely sip, sank into his thoughts. His gaze gently slid to Toga, who lay before him, trying to pretend to be asleep.

A light smile appeared on his face as he felt relieved that Toga's quirk doesn't allow her to acquire the abilities of those whose appearance she copies. 

Still, Kimika, with her time quirk and Hatred, was such a unique phenomenon in this world. What if Toga could not only change her appearance but also copy quirks? Then this pair... 

In the director's mind, scenes flashed by, imagining Toga adopting Kimika's appearance and, along with it, her time quirk. Or, she could take Eraser Head's quirk, gaining the ability to neutralize quirks. And with her combat skills... it would create incredible problems. 

'What if she gained All Might's quirk?'

Nezu involuntarily flinched, and the thought made him choke on his tea. Quickly coughing, he placed the cup on the table and carefully wiped away the drop that had fallen onto his light gray fur.

He looked again at the girl, who, lying on the comfortable bed given to her, was trying with all her gestures to show that she was asleep. These futile attempts to pretend to be asleep, and probably waiting for the moment to strike, amused him immensely, especially since he had one very interesting trump card for such a situation. 

Taking the cup, and not taking his eyes off Toga, he took another sip of tea.

"Your quirk is truly interesting and good, though I can't say the same about your path... the path that led you to become a criminal, not a heroine... You know, as strange as it may sound, I'm actually more interested in criminals than heroes, especially ones like you. I just love studying everything about their lives, especially what made them become who they are." 

Having spoken these words, Nezu noticed how Toga's lips twitched slightly, seemingly because he had touched on the right topic. A smile effortlessly appeared on his face, and after finishing the last sip of tea, he placed the cup on the table.

"Perhaps it's because of your quirk? As I found out, it imposes a love for blood on you — something society finds hard to accept, especially considering that even in our progressive times, there are many people who hate others because of their appearance or certain differences granted by their quirks. Maybe that's why you were left all alone — without friends, and perhaps even without family...

As for your family, like with many other criminals, they could have been the main reason for your choice of this path. Most criminals whose lives I've studied became what they are because of a family that ignored them or even hated them for certain reasons... People are far from perfect beings. Sometimes they can be cruel even to their own children, which, I must admit, I can never understand, no matter how many times I've tried."

He watched as with each word, Toga increasingly shed her sleeping facade and began to almost "burn" from within. Nezu eagerly awaited the moment when she could no longer suppress this inner explosion and, completely abandoning her plan to attack at the right moment, would just throw herself at him. And then, when her emotions reached their peak, they would finally be able to have a real conversation.

"And your family fits this... Because your parents didn't do anything after you ran away from home at 13. No calls to heroes, not even a simple missing person report to the police, as if their daughter hadn't just disappeared, but as if she'd never existed at all. And if that was all they did... But no. When my good friend, the detective, and I reached out to them, they simply said they had 'disowned' you for a few years due to your 'abnormality'... And they said it with such faces, as if it was something completely understandable. They even added that if you had done something wrong, it was no longer their responsibility... Or maybe... your becoming a criminal has something to do with Kimika? By the way, about Kimika..."

And at that very moment, as he mentioned Kimika, a true explosion of emotions occurred, and with a loud scream, the inner volcano of Toga erupted. Leaping out of bed, she charged at him with hatred, a feeling completely alien to her. 

"DO NOT MENTION HER!" 

Toga swiftly rushed towards Nezu, unable to contain the storm of anger and hatred that seemed to have built up in her soul over a long period of time.

From the very beginning of this one-sided conversation, she had been exerting all her effort to refrain from attacking, to avoid tearing him apart for destroying not only her carefully planned scheme regarding Kimika, but also their shared dream of happiness. 

And even the cold metal collar around her neck or the barely audible, almost weightless bracelets on her arms and legs couldn't make her lash out at him, for a single wrong step in this completely uncontrollable hero territory could leave her without any chance for a second attempt.

Even Nezu's words about her quirk, about her path as a criminal, about her family, and how they had abandoned her without any attempt to find her, could not break her composure in this critical situation. The little girl who once dreamed that her parents would eventually love her was no longer there. 

Now, in her life, there was Kimika, whom she loved with all her heart, and it was for her that Toga could not allow herself to lose composure. 

But just a single mention of Kimika, for some unknown reason, hit her like a hammer, and the inexplicable hatred in her soul made her explode in anger.

With each step, she was getting closer to Nezu, but despite the anger burning in her heart, she noticed something strange. Just like in the theater, he remained surprisingly calm and continued to smile as he looked her directly in the eyes. This made her, although not stopping, momentarily disconnect from everything around her.

Beep

Suddenly, the collar emitted a beep and began flashing red, like an alarm, accompanied by vibrations. At the same time, the bracelets on her arms and legs started to weigh down.

"What the...?"

Before she could understand what was happening, in just a moment, she found herself slammed to the ground with a loud thud, pressed down by the weight of the bracelets, only a few inches away from Nezu. The dizziness from the constant vibrations grew stronger, and the heaviness in her body deprived her of any control over herself — she couldn't move even a muscle without great effort. 

And the anger and hatred that had driven her reckless attack disappeared without a trace, as if they had never been there, which only heightened her confusion and her inability to understand what had just happened.

"Hmm, so it really is in you too... I wasn't wrong to be cautious. Well then, now that you can no longer pretend to be asleep and can clearly see the situation you're in, maybe we can finally talk? Though, of course, don't worry, I have plenty of time... just like you do. So we can start the conversation whenever you wish, but..." Nezu didn't finish, as the paralyzed Toga, lying before him, sharply interrupted him. 

"This... this... what the... wha-what the hell?!" Toga's voice cracked, and her words came out in fragments, as if she was struggling with her own body, trying to say at least something. Her mind was drowning in a chaotic confusion, and her body refused to obey, as if it no longer belonged to her.

Meanwhile, the vibrations from the collar grew stronger, causing her to close her eyes as her eyelids became heavy.

Her breathing grew more labored, and each subsequent breath required more effort than the previous one.

"Mm? You're talking about the collar and bracelets? These are quite interesting devices, by the way, created by my students in the engineering course here at my academy, where you are currently located. They have several interesting functions, specially designed at my request."

He slowly began to curl his fingers, as if counting, even though he knew Toga wouldn't see it. 

"The first function — your restraint. I wouldn't want you to strangle me with your own hands. And I also wouldn't want the heroes outside this lovely room to burst in here and... well, you get it. 

The second function — a demonstration that you have completely lost control of the situation. And all your attempts to attack or escape will be futile.

And finally, the third function... if you can call it that. It's an experimental technology that literally shuts down your body. Any attempts to get up, activate your quirk, or use Hatred... become impossible. Though, I must admit, there are some nuances to it.

Quite a multifunctional thing, isn't it? And these aren't even all its functions! And thanks to these devices, you have access to this wonderful room, rather than one like in Tartarus. And in general, your stay here is the result of my connections and these devices. After all, it's worth noting that many wanted you imprisoned in Tartarus. Your list of crimes, you know, is quite impressive. But I decided to give you a second chance." 

Having finished describing the incredibly wonderful, in his opinion, devices created by the most talented students of the engineering course at his academy, Nezu proudly straightened up, as if expecting applause. However, none followed.

A quick glance at Toga suggested that she was probably not even listening to him. All this time, the girl had been unsuccessfully struggling with her body, trying not to lose consciousness. 

"Sigh, what did I expect..." he muttered, slowly pulling the remote from his pocket and pressing a few buttons.

In the next moment, a beep came from the collar, and the vibrations stopped. Right before his eyes, the girl began to move more and more actively, gradually regaining control over her body. This made him abandon the idea of disabling the bracelets, leaving her immobilized.

The eyes of the motionless Toga quickly scanned the room, trying to gather as much information as possible. She needed to escape from here by any means necessary to find and save Kimika.

She couldn't allow herself to do this at the very beginning—when she tried to create the impression that she was asleep or when she lashed out at Nezu in anger. 

Toga observed an ordinary one-room apartment, completely unlike Tartarus chambers or a simple prison cell, just as Nezu had said: a simple and comfortable bed she had been lying on just moments ago, a basic kitchen, a table, chairs, a refrigerator, a door likely leading to the bathroom, and a few other items. 

And as the dizziness in her head almost completely subsided and her mind began to clear, Toga once again focused all her attention on Nezu.

"Just talk? Well, sure... But if in your understanding, a simple conversation means one where I'm pinned to the ground by bracelets, then it seems there's something wrong with you," Toga said sarcastically, narrowing her eyes in amusement while not breaking her gaze from Nezu. 

The director, remaining cold and focused, simply smiled, completely confident that he knew what he was doing. Leaping down from the chair, he approached her, squatting directly in front of her face and looking her straight in the eyes.

"Well, then consider this not a conversation, but rather a sort of interrogation, and that's why you'll stay on the ground." Nezu calmly said, not giving Toga a chance for the sharp comment he had already seen in her eyes. "Our conversation concerns your partner, or rather, Hatred. What is it, and where did it come from for both of you?" 

Toga instantly froze, as if forgetting how to move or breathe. In her eyes was a complete confusion at such a question.

"Hatred?" Toga quietly said, still trying to compose herself. She had expected any question, but not this one. "You mean the emotion? What a stupid question! Hatred exists in everyone, even in you, and you're definitely not someone who wouldn't know the answer to that. And anyway, how does this relate to Kimika, and more importantly, where is she? If you don't answer, I'll..." 

But Nezu, ignoring all her threats that began flying toward him, simply stared at her. Understanding from her body language and words that she wasn't lying and truly didn't know what he was talking about. 

"So, you don't know anything..." Nezu murmured quietly, grabbing a tablet and quickly opening a video.

He positioned the tablet so that Toga, lying motionless on the ground, had a clear view of the screen and couldn't look away. 

On the screen, a montage from cameras mounted on the heroes' costumes began to play. These were shots from the fight with Kimika — the moment when Toga was unconscious.

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Uncharacteristic Hatred? Does Toga have it too???? What is this HATRED? But how???? It was supposed to be only in Kimika??? WHAT THE F**K???

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