Aesthete

Chapter 29.

- One Month Later -

Annalise Reyna and Shota Aizawa were walking along the trail of the forest nearby his home. Both of them were silent, simply pondering over the day itself.

Shota would cast a few glances at Florence's mother every now and then. She was a mystery, much like her daughter. What hurt him was how Florence and Annalise were spitting images of each other. Florence's older and younger sisters, Isabella and Catalina, were similar but had some traits that set them apart. Their personalities were only stark contradictions to the quiet beings that were Annalise and Florence Reyna.

Annalise arrived in Japan with her two remaining children several hours after Shota spoke to her. He expected to see Florence's mother falling apart at the seams, the way any parent would react to their child missing. Instead, her mother expressed sadness, but their was an undeniable patience to her demeanor, as if she was expecting something.

Shota and the staff of U.A apologized to Florence's family for the way they failed her and didn't take enough precautions to prevent her kidnapping and attack by the League. They were all startled when her mother humbly accepted the apology, notifying the administration that she would remain in Japan until her child returned to her.

So, the wait began.

The first two weeks were difficult, Aizawa had a hard time understanding Annalise and her personality, she was eccentric at times, but then she would become watchful, only throwing an occasional comment to her children; they all stayed in Aizawa's home for the time being. The students of U.A hadn't returned due to the recent update in terms of curriculum and housing. U.A High announced construction of a new project called Heights Alliance. This project would forge a method of reassured safety for the students, even if the sacrifice meant being apart from their own families. It took the pleads and convincing of Shota and All Might to every family of class 1-A's students, but they eventually agreed.

The night before moving into the new dorms, Aizawa ventured into the kitchen, watching Florence's mother throw together dinner for her siblings as the two girls argued over who would get to hug Florence first when she returned. That's what irked him most. Neither of the three females seemed to express grief or anger or longing, they were all astoundingly patient. If one of the teenagers began to cry, they'd only look at Annalise's expression before calming down. He often wondered what kind of bond they had with one another to be so powerfully influenced by simple glances. He also wondered why they hadn't comprehended the fact that Florence Reyna seemed to show no return.

The Japanese government and the U.S QAP spent the fortnight devoted to searching for the child, people all over the country had grown fond of her heroic acts. She made national headlines for saving one hundred and seventy people during the Attack on Kamino Ward despite having a battered body. That day marked the end of the age of All Might, but also the beginning of a new transition. Many news reporters and entertainment channels would dissect the events constantly, they would converse over the different theories of what happened to Florence Reyna after the Kamino incident. People all over the country held vigils in her honor, and would roam and search the streets of Japan in hopes that she would appear. She never did, though. Eventually, the talk of that unforgettable day died down. The only people who were still drastically affected by it were the people that Florence Reyna touched directly by her constant presence.

Present Mic and Midnight would stay over often at Shota's home, both pro-heroes were heartbroken, but they held it together to not scare Florence's family. Midnight and Annalise got along well, while the siblings took a liking to Present Mic's cheerful personality. Shota would simply observe, too hurt over her absence to enjoy the moment with them.