The incident at Musutafu Plaza had already made the news by morning.
"Miraculous Escape — No Casualties in Construction Mishap."
Reporters called it luck.
Others said it was quick hero response.
But no one — no one — mentioned Aerith.
Hawks made sure of that.
---
By the time he returned to his agency headquarters, he was already spinning the story.
His easy grin and half-lidded eyes masked the storm behind them.
He'd dealt with suspicion before — both from villains and his own agency.
This was just another mission.
Except this time, the person he was protecting wasn't a hero… she was someone better.
He dropped his report on his desk and sighed dramatically.
> "There. Paperwork done. You happy, boss?"
The agent across from him frowned.
> "You were on site, Takami. You didn't see anything unusual?"
> "Just chaos and screaming. I barely managed to stop that beam from crushing people. The crowd's lucky, I guess."
> "No sign of a quirk user?"
> "Nah. Just timing and luck," he said with a shrug. "Maybe I'm rubbing off on Musutafu."
His smile never wavered.
But as soon as the conversation ended, he left the office — wings unfurling, feathers flicking in quiet irritation.
He needed a better plan.
---
Later that night, in the privacy of his agency's rooftop, Hawks pulled out his earpiece.
> "Kenta," he called.
A crackle of static — then a low voice answered, casual but sharp.
> "Yo, boss. You sound serious for once. What's up?"
> "Need a favor. Remember that flower girl I told you about?"
> "The one you keep buying lilies from? Yeah, hard to forget. You sound like a guy with a crush, by the way."
> "Yeah, yeah," Hawks muttered. "Listen. Hero Commission's sniffing around the plaza incident. I want a cover story ready if they dig deeper."
> "Got it. What are we covering?"
> "A date."
There was a long pause.
> "...A what?"
> "You heard me," Hawks said, smirking to himself. "We make it look like I've been meeting Aerith off duty because I'm seeing her. Romantic interest. That way, if anyone asks why I'm around her so much, it's personal, not professional."
> "Smooth, boss. Mixing business with pleasure again?"
> "Just being efficient."
> "Sure, sure." Kenta's voice chuckled over the line. "Alright. I'll spread the word that you're seeing someone. Nothing serious, just casual. Enough to kill the suspicion."
> "Perfect."
> "And this Aerith girl... she in on it?"
Hawks' smirk softened into something real.
> "She doesn't need to know. Not yet. Let her think it's just another day with flowers and sunlight. She's done enough hiding already."
---
The next morning, Aerith was tending her garden in the old church when Hawks appeared at the doorway.
He leaned against the frame, a small smile playing at his lips.
> "You again," she teased, brushing dirt off her hands. "You really do have too much free time."
> "Call it... personal interest."
She laughed softly.
> "In my flowers, I hope."
> "Something like that," he said. "How about lunch tomorrow? Plaza café. My treat."
Her green eyes lit up with gentle surprise.
> "A date?"
> "If you want to call it that."
She tilted her head, studying him — as if she could see straight through his nonchalance.
> "You're not good at hiding your intentions, you know."
> "That's what everyone thinks," he replied, his grin widening. "And that's exactly how I like it."
---
Later that night, back at the agency, Hawks received a short message from Kenta:
> "Cover's working. Commission bought it. You're officially the most talked-about romantic in the building."
Hawks chuckled to himself, wings flicking lazily.
> "Good. Let them talk. The louder the noise, the quieter the truth."
He leaned back in his chair, looking out at the city lights.
Down there, somewhere among the glow, Aerith was probably tending her flowers again — unaware that the man watching over her was spinning lies to keep her safe.
And Hawks didn't mind.
For once, his lies felt like the right kind of truth.