maneuvering through

The Aftermath

'GLAMOR GIRL SPOTTED WITH HERO SHOUTO'

Her teacup paused halfway to her mouth when the video headline snared Momo's attention. Calmly, Momo went on with the delayed sip and didn't make a gesture to scroll down. It registered to have been uploaded last night, and despite the short amount of time, it already gained a hundred thousand views. Without second thoughts she clicked it to play.

"It's no surprise to everyone that the Glamor Hero openly shared her admiration for the handsome bachelor in one of her interviews. That simple admission had some fangirls ship the two but had not grown possibilities of happening since the reserved hero hadn't said anything or displayed some sort of reaction to fuel the rave, not until yesterday when the two were spotted so close with each other at a concert. Shouto was clearly on his work uniform and deemed to be a part of the security forces, whereas, glamor girl was hinted to be on her day off. It broke speculations on the internet and reignited the embers of a possible romance between the two...

Momo hardly stopped herself from chuckling and had to place her cup on the saucer, choking mildly on her lemon tea. A bright summer morning over a cup of tea and a ridiculous gossip later, Kyouka must be in stitches by now. Dabbing a clean cloth on her lips, she grabbed a cushion and leaned comfortably on her couch, smiling at the fresh memory of his 'good morning' message.

Another set of videos aligned featuring still her Shouto and was uploaded a month ago, and without missing a beat clicked it to play.

... the elusive hero never once hinted or shared a part of his personal life but earlier this year, he surprised the hero world when he, surprisingly shared a tidbit of it. Leading the gossip world to speculate on a fledgling heroine but was instantly shunned. Another beauty emerged in the picture that intrigued the Internet since it has the potential to ignite sparks. Shouto had been spotted on several occasions hanging out with the still unknown girl, notably after that one night they were sighted so close together...

'So, that explained the odd staring she got the morning after. They made it in the news.'

'Oh. It felt like yesterday when she cried that night for no valid reason.'

Momo almost jumped out of her seat when it showed photos of them inside the school ground. Including the one when they sat for lunch sharing eye contact. And that stroll beneath the trees could easily be interpreted as something beyond friendship.

'How on earth did they got the photos?'

She clicked another one that's been uploaded just last night, featuring her and Shouto.

...the rumors died down when Shouto returned from Osaka without the girl and was labeled as just a fling while the hero was on vacation. But rumors resurfaced again when Shouto had been sighted entering and exiting the same apartment building more often than one would expect. Despite being seen with random women in the hero world, one girl remained constant, and they were spotted again just yesterday exiting Best Jeanist's agency. The two shared meaningful stares without much care of the world...

...Many believed this could be it, and Shouto has finally found the girl. But the monumental question of the moment was, Who is this mystery girl that captured the heart of a well-loved and adored hero?

Momo pushed her laptop to a close. Of course, such a public display could cause an uproar. But did she regret the attention she's getting now? But it was to be expected. They were out in the open and all. And Shouto didn't seem to mind the public display at, on the contrary, he seemed to welcome it.

'But what about his fans?'

The soft ringtone of her phone pulled her out of temporary musings, checking it had been Kyouka. "Yes, Kyouka-san?"

"Yaomomo!" Her voice rang like the first bell of class. "Tv...Channel 3! Quick!"

The way her best friend demanded her in haste made her all the more reluctant to obey. But she didn't stop herself when she began reaching for the remote.

'Her day hasn't officially started yet, here she is, already tense.'

She tuned in the said channel and immediately squirmed in her spot, bringing a hand over her mouth slightly ajar.

Momo stopped breathing when shots of her and Shouto sauntering the sidewalks filled the screen, distracted by each other's company. More trove of photos of her followed, she in her hero costume, mostly taken just recently. She should have expected it, but thinking and actually being talked about had a wave slapping effect on her.

She should never be ashamed but she was tremendously shaken and stirred on the spot. Although the reports evidently kept her identity anonymous, people will wonder. Curiosity knows no bounds, until it kills you like the cat.

"...there is no doubt that every girl's favorite bachelor hero is finally smitten with the still unknown girl..."

"Yaomomo..." Jirou screeched from the other line. But her phone fell before she could answer.