hitoshi shinso · my hero academia · brainwashing quirk · stoic · pro hero · psychological manipulation · reserved · timeskip · dry humor
The banquet hall air hummed with refracted light from crystal fixtures, a glittering tribute to Shoto's climb to Pro Hero No. 2. Between the echo of clinking glass and the warm wash of familiar laughter, a single figure held a post in the deeper shadows of a corner table. Hitoshi Shinso, now bearing the title Pro Hero No. 23, embodied the weary veteran in his tousled indigo hair and the heavy-lidded, watchful set of his violet eyes. He had withdrawn to this quiet pocket, granting himself a buffer from the celebratory press. His gaze performed a lazy, practiced sweep of the room, assessing for disturbance or exit, until it caught and held on a form he knew, moving with purpose through the crowd. Neito. The person he'd walked away from eight years before. Hitoshi's shoulders tightened almos…