Stealth

Bright sunlight made me put on my sunglasses.

Tsukino and I were skulking down a busy, idyllic street teeming with tourists. We were covert—both donned in our dark trench coats, hands in our pockets. Nothing could make us look more suspicious. The eyes of people walking by kept following us, because it was obvious we were following someone else.

"How much farther?" I told Tsukino.

"Not much. The cafe they frequent is around the corner."

"How do you even know which places they like?"

"It's my job to know. Shut up."

Our dark shoes carried us farther through an alley sandwiched between bakeries. Little tables outside had friends enjoying plates stacked with crêpes; not one person noticed us when we crept by.

Beyond the alley, we merged back into crowded streets. Denizens of Besos Rojos knew we were outsiders, but like in other cities, it didn't matter. Our focus remained on getting to where we needed.

"What's wrong, Tsukino?" I said. We'd stopped for her to swivel her head around, confused.

"This is weird. The cafe they like is right over there, but they didn't stop by."

"Damn! So we've lost them?"

"Not yet. Go call in S:P."

S:P? It was our last resort, but desperate times called for desperate measures.

After ramming two fingers in my mouth, I whistled as loud as possible. The screeching sound traveled through stunned crowds until it headed straight towards the sky.

A pigeon descended, feathers cascading around me. With perfect accuracy she perched on my shoulder before saluting us with her wing.

"S:P—Surveillance Pigeon, reporting for duty," Trixie said.

"Wh-Why did we have to give her a codename again?"

"Shhh." Tsukino raised a hush finger. "Remember—it's so anyone that might be listening in on us wouldn't recognize Trixie. Her biggest strength is that she can transform into any animal after all."

"Yeah!" Trixie said. "Plus, it's cool spy vibes, hehe."

I couldn't do anything except take off my sunglasses and facepalm. "Whatever. Did you manage to keep tabs on our target?"

"Yeah! Yeah! They're not much farther down this street! Though he suddenly started moving fast. I think he figured out you guys were following him."

"That's not surprising," Tsukino said. "He has plenty of experience dealing with paparazzi."

There’s always something working against us. But with passersby starting to notice us, it was time to move. "Let's catch up with him. Keep being our eyes in the sky, S:P."

"Roger!" Trixie's wings spread before she flew up towards the buildings.

The game of cat and mouse continued.

Tsukino and I skulked through scenic streets reminiscent of Paris. Tourists were funneling themselves through gauntlets of restaurants and shops, while violinists played tunes in the background. Those sights kept distracting me when focusing on the sky was more important.

"Keep following S:P," Tsukino ahead of me said. "I bet she'll fly towards another key location."

"It's getting crowded. C-Careful we don't separate." Oof.

Masses of people had already begun splitting us apart. Soon even Tsukino left my sight, and I was alone among strangers.

Damn. We gotta meet up again. Should I call Trixie back—I felt a hard shoulder bump against me. Then someone's letter dropped down.

A shrouded person wearing a brown robe walked away as if they didn't even notice.

"Hey, wait." I bent down to retrieve the letter. "You dropped this—"

But the person was gone, vanished into the crowd.

Well that was weird.

"Aizawa!" Tsukino's voice rang somewhere. "Over here!"

I ran through tourists, crashing against more shoulders as I went. The unrelenting mob didn't thin until our street ended at a river splicing through the middle of the city. Just on the side, I could see an enormous, old tree shaped like an Eiffel Tower. Though dead and branchless, the hunk of wood stood tall amongst gleaming architecture below.

"Tsukino? S:P?" I tried searching for my friends; neither were in sight. Several people eating croissants walked by, while pigeons swooped down to peck at crumbs. I'd almost abandoned hope when—

"There you are!" Tsukino running over said. "Where were you?"

"Sorry, haha. Gotta kinda lost."

"Whatever. Come on." She grabbed my hand and tugged me along. It felt nice.

Farther down the street were mobs of giddy fangirls crowding around a cafe. Tsukino helped me maneuver through until we emerged onto the cafe's patio decorated with tables—almost all occupied. Discreetly, we snuck towards the one vacant table, keeping our heads low as we sat down.

"Mission accomplished," I said.

"Do you see him, Aizawa?"

"Yeah, a few tables behind you." I grabbed a newspaper someone left on the table to hide my face. "Wish he'd be forgettable."

Surrounded by guards, Vagera the Hero was enjoying an afternoon date with yet another girl. He'd donned a fancy suit that matched his blue eyes and hair, though it made him look gaudy. Each time he smiled, he made an effort to show white teeth I knew he prided in. And it annoyed me whenever he winked towards his date, since it floated over to me.

Tsk. Dunno what anyone sees in him. I lowered the newspaper when a waiter came to take our orders. Tsukino asked for strawberry moelleux cake, while I just wanted some (calamari) lemonade.

They did not have calamari.

But with bustling crowds around us, it felt safe to talk freely and raise our voices.

"Well?" I told her. "What now?"

She tried looking over her shoulder. "Have you snuck pictures yet?"

"Oh, one sec." From my trench coat I slipped out the Memory Stone. It was still cubed from earlier sessions. "How many photos should I take?"

"Doesn't matter, just make sure they're good."

"Right."

Like a creep with a cell phone, I held the Stone at an angle to sneak pictures of Vagera. He was still several tables down, giggling along with his date. None seemed the wiser we were even here.

"Can't believe this is the third girl he's seen today," I said. "Doesn't he technically have a girlfriend?"

"He does. But he doesn't care. And neither does his girlfriend."

"So are we gonna write a spicy article? 'Hero Cheats On His Girlfriend with Three Other Girls' or something?"

Tsukino didn't reply. She seemed annoyed at the question and just sighed. "Listen—everyone already knows what Vagera is like. But there's still things we can and can't say about him."

"Like what?"

"I'll explain when we head back . . ."

After a nod, I kept taking photos. The Stone could snap pictures akin to a slideshow but couldn't record video. So I focused on getting clear shots of his face when possible.

Then, girls being held back by uniformed guards burst through blockades and crowded Vagera. All he did was smile as dozens of women clamored for his attention.

"Please!" a blonde girl said. "Go out with me next!"

"No! Forget that bitch! I'm a virgin, take me instead!" a brunette yelled.

"She's lying! She has two kids!" another girl said. "I'm better than all these skanks!"

Several women began brawling, slapping and pulling at each other's hair. The guards tried breaking things up but couldn't contain the chaos. Other guests fled when women flopped onto their tables.

Meanwhile, I just snapped photos.

Tsukino couldn't even see what was happening behind her, but she facepalmed anyway. "Women always make our job harder."

"Can't say I ever thought being paparazzi was easy."

"It doesn't get any easier from here."

Soon, guards and employees managed to break up the girls' fighting. Crowds were pushed back so Vagera could enjoy his date in peace. With another smile, he began chatting once more.

"Wish we could hear what he was saying from here," I said. "Wait, where's S:P?"

"She's looking down from the roof. Why?"

"Maybe we could use her to try eavesdropping on Vagera's conversation."

"It won't work; he knows well about S:P. He'll just scare away suspicious animals with his aura."

"Sheesh. Didn't know he was super cautious."

Dishes lowered onto our table as waiters brought desserts. Tsukino stuck a fork in her strawberry moelleux while I sipped lemonade.

Hmmm . . . From an objective viewpoint, we're basically on a date right now, aren't we? At least it'd look that way to bystanders. Not that I'd be happy at the notion. Maybe.

"Anyway," she said, wiping her lips. "Vagera is hard to tail because we normally can't get anywhere near him in public. He complains to the church more than other Heroes if we interfere with his affairs."

"You could try going undercover with that Youth-Youth potion Chief gave you."

"No, Vagera isn't into little girls."

"That's not what I meant . . ."

An uneventful five minutes passed. I kept sipping lemonade while observing Vagera and his date. Neither person did anything noteworthy except chat.

Bored, I started reading the newspaper. "Hey. There's pictures here I took during White Swamp's raid."

"Yeah, because that's a Borsalino paper, idiot."

"Oh, haha. Looks like that article you wrote is here too."

"It's whatever."

But when I'd finished flipping through pages, I felt energized. Even at my old job, most of my handiwork didn't ever get published in physical form. So seeing the possibility of articles landing in people's hands was surreal to imagine.

Another few minutes passed before Vagera and his date stood to pay the tab. The cafe owner came out to personally thank them both for the visit, bowing his head until the lovebirds waltzed out from the patio.

"Crap, let's go." Tsukino slammed some coins on the table as we both hurried along. Tailing Vagera and his girl wasn't easy; guards kept everyone farther away now. But when mobs of fangirls began dispersing, we had clear sights at our targets.

S:P was soaring along the rooftops, keeping a watchful eye so we didn't lose Vagera again. The Hero strolled at a steady pace with his date snug under his arm. We were close enough now to hear them flirting.

"So—you're being honest when you say I'm more special than other girls?" she said.

"Of course!" he grinned. "You're one of a kind! You make me smile!"

"Mm. I'd love to be your number one too."

"You already are . . ." Slowly, his hand slid down her back and grabbed her ass—a firm grasp that stretched the denim of her jeans.

Huh? First date and he's already going in? I raised my Memory Stone to snap photos. This guy is crazy. My first girlfriend wouldn't even let me hold her hand until a month in. What's with these discrepancies?

The girl let Vagera have fun around her butt, only nudging him away when he tried reaching down her panties.

"Sorry, sorry," he laughed. "Maybe my smile made me a little eager."

"I-It's fine. Just not in public."

"Oh?" His arm coiled around her even tighter. "So you're saying—anything I want would be fine, if we're in private?"

She shyly nodded—an invitation to let him keep rubbing her butt.

Tsk. I resisted spitting at him all the way from here. "Sheesh. What does anyone see in a guy like that?"

"Women simply desire status," Tsukino said. "Sleeping with Vagera is a rite of passage not many would pass on."

"How about you then?"

"No. He's not my type."

"What's your type—" But she elbowed me before I could finish. "N-Nevermind . . ."

We continued pacing down Parisian streets. Vagera and his date stopped by the river to admire passing boats. The sparkling waters were almost hypnotic even during daytime, with entourages of nearby lovers all admiring the scenery.

It seemed innocent at first, until something else caught Vagera's eyes.

"Hmmm?" He glanced aside to inspect the ass of another girl who was with her boyfriend. The blonde woman—well-endowed—wore tight jeans that clenched her rump.

Eh? I was watching things from afar through my Memory Stone. "What's he doing now?"

"Looks like he found another appealing woman," Tsukino said. We were both lurking behind a tree while crowds passed by behind us. With the bustle of rush hour, no one seemed to notice us.

"Even someone's girlfriend isn't off limits for him?" I said. "That's bad."

"Just keep observing."

Ahead, luxurious boats along the river kept floating by. Vagera's date was distracted, her eyes glimmering with awe, while Vagera kept staring at the other girl's ass. It was such blatant ogling that the nearby boyfriend noticed.

"Hey!" the buff, bald man said. His arms were built like a boxer's, with fists clenched and ready to fight. "Where da' fuck do you think you're looking? Punk?"

"Oh?" Vagera said. "Congrats, I was just appraising your partner's wares."

"Wha'? You wanna fight? I'll beat that pretty boy face in right no—"

In a flash, an overwhelming Hero aura blasted through the area. Aimed. Directed. Hardly anyone except us and the birds that fell out of the tree noticed. It was a strong gust of wind—an obvious warning that he knew we were here.

D-Damnit! My legs wobbled, uneasy. Fight-or-flight sensations coursed through me, but I stood firm since I'd felt stronger Hero auras before. Even Tsukino beside me looked startled though.

Meanwhile, the buff boyfriend who'd eaten the whole aura, had wet himself. His teeth were clattering as he realized who he was facing.

"H-Hold on! That power! You're one of the Heroes, aren't you?"

Vagera just grinned. "No need for formality. I'm simply Smiles Vagera."

"Wait, O-M-G!" the man's girlfriend said, excited. "You're actually the famous Vagera that all my friends always talk about?"

"In the flesh, darling."

"K'yaaa! You have to let me introduce you! My friends are in town!"

"Oh? Tell me more about these friends of yours . . ."

They both kept flirting. While the buff boyfriend and Vagera's date just watched from the sidelines; they knew they'd been discarded—replaced with newer, better toys. Only the first girl remained steadfast though, determined to not lose her man.

"H-Hey, Vagera." She pinched his sleeve. "Weren't we on a date?"

"Ah, well of course!"

"Then shouldn't we keep going?"

"Yes!" His arm wrapped tight around her, scooping her shoulder close. "In fact, you wouldn't mind if we brought along another girl to make our date more thrilling?"

"E-Ehh?"

"Great!" Vagera's other arm reached towards the blonde woman before bringing her in. "Ah! Sorry! Having two women under my arms feels better than just one!"

But neither girl minded. They both actually competed to see who could cuddle Vagera harder. They'd become infatuated with him beyond reason, and were now panting like they were in heat.

Meanwhile, the poor buff boyfriend couldn't do anything but watch as his girlfriend was led away by another man. Why even bother raising a fist against one of this world's Heroes?

We could only hear one last laugh as Vagera and his girlfriends waltzed into crowds:

"I have an idea!" he said. "Why don't we go host a private fan meetup at a hotel?"

"Yes!" both girls eagerly said.

That was it. I didn't know what to think. Say. Do. I didn't ever want to see that guy again, but then Tsukino's voice snapped me back to reality.

"He's leaving. Let's tail him."

"Why?"

"It's our job."

"How long do we gotta stalk him?"

"As long as needed."

Disappointment—my shoulders slouched as I chased along behind Tsukino. We pushed through mobs of tourists together while S:P flew somewhere overhead. Our afternoon was still far from over, and I knew we hadn't seen the last of Vagera's hijinks.