It's impossible. How am I supposed to finish this quest? It doesn't make any sense. It has to be bugged. I already tried everything. Leaning forward, he glared at the computer screen. His own tired, sunlight-deprived, crusty self was reflected back for a second before he focused on the hedge maze in the game.

Irritation made him start to itch at his neck, leaving deep red lines behind. This stupid hedge maze was pushing him ever so closer towards madness; he was sure of that. It was morning when he went into the hedge maze in his game and now it was mid-afternoon. He went around the whole thing and found no openings besides the entrance.

Shigaraki grumbled quietly to himself as he clicked the computer mouse, his knuckles turning pale from how tightly four of his fingers wrapped around it. No luck. His character kept wandering around the same areas and there seemed to be no end in sight.

A normal guy would have let it go. A normal guy would have left the game for a while to get some fresh air, probably go for a walk outside, maybe ask a friend for advice. Shigaraki had zero interest in going outside and he had zero friends. Kurogiri definitely did not count as a friend. Not to him, at least.

So, like the abnormal gremlin that he was, Shigaraki let his anger control his next action and he gripped the mouse with all five fingers to try to fling it across the room. The cracking of plastic against the wall would have been satisfying, but his quirk robbed him of that. Instead of being flung, it crumbled under his touch into nothingness. Thankfully it was wireless so the computer was unharmed.

Sighing in annoyance, he finally had the last push to force him out of his room. Like a rabid badger awoken from a deep slumber, he emerged from his room with a scowl and found Kurogiri in the bar. He stood there for a long moment; just glaring at the misty villain from across the counter.

"I need a new mouse." Not so much as a shred of politeness in his tone, his red eyes narrowed when Kurogiri looked up from wiping a glass. "Get one for me."

"Shigaraki Tomura, I'm afraid I can't do that right now. I must leave in a few minutes to do a task for our master and-"

"I don't care. Just take care of it." He started to turn away, gritting his teeth in frustration. Without the computer mouse, he had no way of playing the game. He was not about to stoop down to the level of the forward/back/side to side key-bind movement system. It's stupid. Why should I have to do that when I can just use a mouse? Besides, it's too much work to do the key-binding.

"You will need to wait. I will be gone until tomorrow, but I will get the mouse for you and bring it-"

"I need it today. Just go and come back. I don't care about what else you have to do." With each second that passed without a computer mouse, Shigaraki could feel his patience wearing thinner. Like an already frayed string being wound tighter and tighter until it neared a snapping point.

Kurogiri set down his spotless glass and the intensely white cloth he had been using to clean it. "You will need to wait until tomorrow. Unless you would like to get it for yourself."

What's so important that you can't just do your job? You're useless. He watched the dark, misty fake bartender take his leave and Shigaraki was left standing alone in the bar. Bored, annoyed, and now glaring at the back of the bar as he came to an infuriating conclusion.

This could only be a ploy to make Shigaraki leave the bar. It had been about two weeks since he went outside and Kurogiri kept bringing it up every chance he got; like a mom nagging their kid to empty the trash can in their room. This thought only pissed him off more as he remembered that Kurogiri had bothered him about emptying the trash can in his room. Like a middle-aged mom. Sticking his nonexistent nose into Shigaraki's business.

There was a game store in the area. Kind of small, but he knew they would have a wireless mouse. Like with the key-binding based movement control, Shigaraki would not lower himself to using a primitive plug-in mouse. He could easily walk there and be back within half an hour. Quest completed, mouse in hand.

The problem was that he had no desire to go out into the afternoon sunlight and deal with people. As he stood there in the empty bar, weighing his options, he finally determined that he needed the mouse that day so he could continue to try to figure out that maze. And so, like an angry toddler on the verge of a tantrum, he stormed out of the bar.

Despite being close, he hated this game store for a really simple reason; all of the employees pissed him off. The store hired guys between twenty and forty years old. All of them acted like they were experts, like they were better than any of the customers that set foot in the store. Whenever he went there, he could hear them whispering back and forth behind his back. Occasionally laughing. Always acting like their gaming skills were better than his, despite never playing against him. The only thing that kept Shigaraki from decimating the place with his quirk was the fact that it would draw attention to him.

He trudged into the store, his hood up and a scowl on his dry, scarred lips. I'll make it quick. All I need is a wireless mouse. I don't even care how much it costs. I need to finish that maze. It can't be impossible; that would be stupid. There has to be some way through it. Shigaraki had his head bowed, scratching at his neck in agitation as he felt eyes on him the second he entered.

The blue-haired villain slowed his steps as he realized that he had no idea where they kept the PC gaming equipment. He had never bought it himself before. Kurogiri usually did this stuff for him or it was ordered online. Now that he was here, not knowing where to look, his frustration began to reach a boiling point.

"Ah. Need some help?" A light, but sort of raspy, female voice came from behind him and made Shigaraki turn. Standing there behind him was a girl around his age. She was wearing the same polo shirt that all employees wore, along with a pair of skinny jeans and a lanyard with the store's logo printed on it.

Shigaraki glared down at her for a moment. She was shorter than him, but only by around five inches. Her eyes were a deep amber color and they had a narrow sort of shape to them. He turned away and kept walking. "I'm looking for a mouse."

"Gaming mouse, right? Wireless?" She came up beside him and gave the villain a half-grin. "You've got to go wireless for the best experience. Here." Walking up ahead of him, she led the way to the selection of PC gaming equipment.

He watched her closely, feeling annoyed and confused. The game store only ever had male employees so this was different from what he was used to. Not to mention how friendly she was being with him. Even worse was that he found himself staring at her. Watching her dark blue-green hair sway in its ponytail as she led him down the aisle.

"This is the kind I use," she explained, grabbing one from the display. "It's comfortable to use, it glides really smoothly, and it doesn't cost too much."

Shigaraki, now wondering if he was being pranked by the normal employees, glanced toward the front counter. The others were watching him interact with this girl. Looking at her again, he saw her amber gaze flick up toward him for a moment before that half-grin took form again. Not like she was teasing him, but like she was excited. Girls never looked at him the way she was looking at him.

"You work on commissions. Shouldn't you be trying to make me spend more money? Or are you stupid?" he muttered, glaring at her. He was sure she was about to mention a ton of other stuff she thought he needed, but would just be a huge waste of money.

She raised an eyebrow and rubbed the back of her neck. "I mean…yeah…but I'm not a garbage human being. I don't want to make you spend a lot if you're not into it. You know how some people are; they have to have the priciest stuff. You just want something efficient. I can tell. It's really admirable."

Shigaraki took the mouse from her and narrowed his eyes further. "I don't care." He scanned the features listed on the packaging and let her lead him to the front counter to ring up his purchase.

His annoyance had started to fade, but it began to rise again when the other employees started to joke around about the girl liking Shigaraki. Her face turned pink and she tried to argue as Shigaraki stood there silently fuming at the humiliation. When one of the older men working behind the counter took over the register and nudged her out of the way, his left eye twitched.

Seeing the contact between this gross, sweaty, thirty-something year old man and the twenty-something year old girl when the man elbowed her out of his way, the villain flexed his fingers in his hoodie pocket. Adrenaline was pulsing through Shigaraki's veins as the girl tried to protest that it was her sale, but she was ignored. In fact, this disgusting man in front of him was trying to suggest a plethora of other things that Shigaraki needed if he wanted to be "a real, professional PC gamer".

He somehow managed to complete the transaction without decaying the man's face into dust and trudged back out into the harsh afternoon sunlight. Scratching the side of his neck, Shigaraki licked at his already dry lips. He could faintly taste blood and it made him grimace. His lips cracked open, making the bloody taste even stronger.

Who does he think he is? Why do I even care? This is stupid. The villain continued down the sidewalk, licking his lips again.

Remembering the way the girl treated him, his scowl deepened. Shigaraki's experience with people was mostly negative. They pissed him off in general, but he had a reason for disliking them. Most people avoided him in public. They might glance at him, stare for a little while or whisper to their friends, but they avoided him like a stray cat with a suspiciously foamy mouth.

This girl was different. She had come up to him with no hesitation and offered him help. He might shrug it off as her just doing her job, but the way she had continued to be friendly with him, even after seeing his face, suggested something about her. Remembering her half-grin and the strangely pleasant rasp of her soft voice, he began to grin in a way that made everyone else on the sidewalk give him a wide berth to avoid him.

"Hey! Um…wait a second! Sir?!"

He tensed, hearing the voice he had just been thinking about coming from a short distance behind him. Shigaraki's grin fell as he turned and he saw her approaching him with a small plastic bag with the store logo on it. When his eyes lowered to her name badge, he saw the name Okabe.

"I'm really sorry about what happened back there," she started, her cheeks flushed a light shade of pink. "That was pretty rude of them. I took care of them, but I wanted to make it up to you. Here."

Shigaraki stared at the bag she was now holding out to him. He hooked a finger through the flexible handles and accepted the gift. Inside were a few cans of energy drinks and some snacks. He lifted his crimson gaze to her face and something weird happened in his chest when he saw her little grin. A skipping of his pulse. He had never felt that before.

"I hope you'll come back. I promise…they won't bother you like that again. Swear on my life." Her amber eyes lit up a bit and she pointed to her name badge. "Next time you go to the store, if you don't see me, ask for Okabe Kohaku. I'll make sure you get a good deal, okay?"

"Okabe Kohaku," he tested the name. "Aren't you a model employee? What kind of prize do you get for making customers come back?"

Her enthusiasm faltered a bit. "I don't…? I'm just trying to make up for my coworkers being so shitty to you today. I didn't like hearing them tease you. Ah. I have to go now. Just…don't let them ruin gaming for you, okay?"

He watched her jog back to the store and scratched his neck again, feeling a little annoyed that she had felt the need to act like a white knight and try to make things better. Looking down at the snacks and drinks she gave him, he felt a grin tug at the corners of his lips. Okabe Kohaku.