The street was quieter than usual, bathed in a soft light that reflected off the shop windows still lit up. Shoto Todoroki walked at a steady pace, his hands in his coat pockets, attentive to his surroundings without appearing to be. The noise of the city remained at a comfortable distance, as if everything were happening just a little further away than normal.

That's when he saw it.

Not directly, but in the reflection of a shop window. A silhouette that didn't fit in with the rest of the passers-by, too precise, too familiar. Shoto stopped without turning around, watching the reflection out of the corner of his eye. The figure took a couple more steps and then turned into a nearby alley, disappearing from the shiny surface of the shop window.

Shoto's heart skipped a beat, briefly, controlled.

He knew that way of moving, that way of occupying space without attracting attention. It reminded him of someone he hadn't seen in a long time, or someone he preferred not to remember at all.

Shoto finally turned and looked down the alley, dark, narrow, and silent. There was no sign of movement. He could continue on his way; there was no logical reason to investigate. Nothing confirmed that it wasn't just a coincidence, a similar face, a misinterpreted gesture.

But he couldn't ignore it.

He took a step toward the entrance to the alley, the air changing slightly as he crossed the boundary between the lit street and the shadows. Something inside him tensed, not because of any immediate threat, but because of recognition.

“It can't be...” he muttered, more to himself than to his surroundings.

The echo of his own voice was lost between the concrete walls. Shoto moved forward a little further, his gaze steady, ready to find out if what he had seen was just a reflection.