Intrigue

Emma Graves relaxed on a comfortable lounge chair, gently rocked by the motion of the ocean.

The sun warmed her skin as she gazed at the crystal-clear blue waters that seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction, sparkling under the bright afternoon sun.

Her large, modern yacht stood out against the horizon.

It was sleek and impressive.

Around her on the deck, a few close friends were enjoying expensive wine, chatting casually while the quiet hum of the yacht's engines mixed with the soothing sound of the waves.

Emma was dressed in a very sexy and sleek black bikini that hugged her athletic and curvaceous body perfectly.

"Ahhh~ ♡ that's the life ♡…"

She leaned back and tilted her head toward the sky.

She had a glass of wine in one hand and swirled the dark liquid slowly as her friends continued their conversation beside her.

"So, Emma, tell us about that guy already! The one from the stream last night…"

Her friend Jenna asked.

Jenna was a tall, dark-skinned beauty with long legs and a wild mane of red hair. She was wearing a bold, neon bikini that showed off her confidence.

After crossing her well-oiled legs, Jenna took a small sip from her glass.

Emma glanced over then smirked softly.

"The vigilante?"

"Yeah! You were blushing earlier today, don't think we didn't notice."

Jenna teased with a wicked grin, leaning over to nudge her friend Nadia, who giggled.

Nadia was a petite, olive-skinned woman with short, silver-blonde hair.

"The guy that got hit with a pulse cannon and walked it off, right? What normal person does that?"

Emma chuckled softly while swirling her wine.

"He's… something else. I don't know. It's just the way he moves. There's no polish, no flare. It's raw, you know? Like he's doing it because he has to. Not for the attention or the glory."

Jenna raised a perfectly arched brow, tilting her head.

"You really think that? I mean, the guy's streaming his stunts. Kinda hypocritical, don't you think? If he was really just trying to help, why would he bother going live?"

Emma's expression hardened a little.

She even sat up straighter.

"It's not the same. You don't get it. He's not working with the Hero Agency or trying to get deals from big companies like MegaCorp and all that. There's no sponsorship in his streams, no PR machine behind him. He's showing people that good can still be done without needing a spotlight or a paycheck. Maybe it's his way of holding himself accountable, or maybe he just wants to remind people that real heroes don't have to be corporate-backed."

Nadia pursed her lips.

"Well…"

She thought for a moment then shrugged.

"Still feels a bit performative. I mean, we know how this game works. If you're streaming, you're putting on a show."

Emma sighed and leaned back into her lounge chair.

"Maybe, but I don't think he's trying to be a celebrity. He's just… doing what needs to be done."

She took a sip of wine after.

Jenna snickered, sitting up and crossing her legs.

"Speaking of celebrities, how does that feel? Being the most simped-over superhero in the world and one of the richest? Must be tough, huh?"

Emma rolled her eyes, her lips twitching into a dry smile.

"I like the attention. But being sexualized every time I so much as breathe? That's… a different story."

Jenna waved her hand, brushing it off.

"Oh, come on. It comes with the territory. You walk into a room and everyone loses their minds. Even the media's obsessed with who you might be hooking up with."

Emma sighed deeply as her face darkened slightly.

"Well, Gordon thinks that should be my next move. Told me this morning that I should release a… sex tape to boost my image. Said it would keep the fans interested."

Both of her friends went silent for a moment before Jenna exploded, nearly spilling her wine.

"Are you fuckin' kidding me? What the actual hell is wrong with that son of a bitch?"

Nadia shook her head with eyes wide open. "That's… well, disgusting. Why are you even working with that creep?"

Emma sighed heavily.

"Trust me, I told him where to shove it up his stupid ass. I'm not doing that."

Before long, she downed the rest of her wine in one gulp.

Jenna let out a low whistle. "Well, good for you. But seriously, Emma, you can't let people like that have a say in your life. You're better than that."

Emma nodded slowly as her gaze lazily drifted out toward the water. "I know. It's just… sometimes it feels like the real work, the actual heroics, get lost in all this noise."

Nadia tapped her arm then pointed discreetly toward a muscular, blonde guy lounging near the pool on the lower deck. He had the chiseled body of a Greek statue, golden skin that glowed under the sun, and a million-dollar smile that could melt hearts from across the deck.

"There's a tasty snack right there. Why don't you go talk to him? I can already imagine the things he'd do to a woman in bed, oh my~ ♡…"

Nadia suggested with a perverted grin.

Emma glanced at the guy briefly before shrugging.

"Not interested."

Her voice was as flat as possible.

Jenna giggled and poked her side. "You keep saying that, and people are going to think you're a lesbian."

Emma rolled her eyes. "As if I care. That's just the media trying to make extra bucks off rumors."

Nadia sipped her wine, eyeing Emma thoughtfully.

"Maybe you're in love with that vigilante guy."

Emma choked on her wine, coughing as both of her friends burst into laughter.

Her cheeks flushed slightly as she wiped her mouth.

"De-, Definitely not."

"Sure, sure…"

Said a smiling Jenna as she leaned back.

"But seriously, Em, when's the last time you actually liked someone? I mean, you're gorgeous, powerful, and practically untouchable, but you've never seemed interested in anyone."

Emma shrugged, looking away. "I'm just… busy. Being a hero, being Miss Mercury, it takes up a lot of time."

"Maybe you're just holding out for someone special," Nadia teased with a wink. "Like a guy who can take a pulse cannon to the chest."

Emma snorted before shaking her head. "Yeah, right. I just… I don't know. It's different with him."

Before any of them could respond, the unmistakable sound of helicopter blades cut through the air. Emma glanced up and her brow furrowed as a massive helicopter appeared overhead, its shadow cast over the yacht.

"Now what?"

Jenna muttered, shielding her eyes as they all looked up.

A dreary, half-eyed Emma sipped some more wine as she grumbled inwardly.

『I really need to find that guy…』

━ ━ ━ ━

Scott slumped in his seat.

He could barely hear a word of what the teacher was saying.

His mind was somewhere else.

No… everywhere else, thanks to the constant pinging of the system notifications that flashed in his vision.

[Ding! Last night's mission report needs your attention!]

[Ding! Possible connection to last night's robbery and alien tech ring. Proceed?]

[YES] [NO]

[Ding! Viewers waiting for the next stream! Don't keep them in suspense!]

His fingers twitched in frustration as the holographic interface buzzed before his eyes, like an itch he couldn't scratch.

『Why does it have to be now?』

He tried shaking his head, hoping to clear the noise and focus on the lecture. But between Maya ditching him (again) and this mission nagging him like an insistent alarm clock, he was done.

Completely over it.

Meanwhile, someone was watching him intently from the far side of the classroom.

A girl Scott had never seen before sat with her chin resting on her hand, her dark hair falling around her face like a soft curtain. Her eyes were deep and dark, almost like the night sky, and they sparkled with curiosity and some mischief.

She was sketching quickly with her pencil moving smoothly across the paper.

There was something about her… almost predatory, like a vixen quietly sizing up her prey. A playful smirk danced on her lips, as if she knew something he didn't.

Scott couldn't shake the weird feeling. He could feel her eyes on him, watching him… studying him.

"Scott, are you paying attention?"

The teacher's voice cut through his thoughts, and he glanced up, realizing the entire class was staring at him.

He hadn't been taking notes.

Heck, he hadn't even opened his notebook.

"I, uh…"

Scott rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.

But honestly, what could he say?

That was the final straw. He stood up abruptly, causing his chair to scrape loudly against the floor.

The teacher looked at him, eyebrows raised.

"Is there something you'd like to share with the class?"

Scott shook his head, running his hand through his hair.

"Look, Mr. Donahue, I'm not gonna lie… I'm not even supposed to be in this class."

A few students snickered, and the teacher crossed his arms, unamused. "Excuse me?"

Scott shrugged as he gathered his things.

"I mean, I didn't even sign up for economics, so I don't know what I'm doing here. You're not my mom, so you can't really stop me from leaving."

He slung his backpack over his shoulder and made his way toward the door.

The teacher sputtered, unsure how to respond to Scott's bluntness, but before he could say anything more, the strange girl with the dark hair spoke up from the back of the class.

"I'm not supposed to be here either, but I couldn't resist sketching such a handsome young man."

Her voice was smooth, sultry, and filled with amusement as she lifted her drawing, showing off an almost perfect sketch of Scott.

The entire class turned to look at her.

Scott froze mid-step. He glanced back at her, confused as his heart did a weird flip.

The teacher blinked, clearly thrown off by the sudden turn of events. "And… who are you?"

The girl giggled lightly, her eyes narrowing playfully.

"Oh, don't mind me, Mr. Donahue. I'm just here to capture the essence of your star pupil."

She winked at Scott with a teasing charm.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Okay… creepy much?"

She laughed again, that same mischievous grin still plastered on her face. "Oh, don't be like that. I just happen to have an eye for interesting people."

Scott didn't know whether to be flattered or concerned.

But at that moment, he didn't have time for games.

He had to clear his head and figure out this whole mission situation.

"I gotta go…" Scott muttered, more to himself than anyone else, before pushing the door open and stepping into the hallway.

As the door closed behind him, the strange girl leaned back in her chair, still watching him leave with that mysterious smile on her face. Looking confused by the whole situation, Mr. Donahue just shook his head and mumbled something about "kids these days" before going back to his lecture.

Scott, meanwhile, walked briskly down the corridor as the fluorescent lights above him buzzed faintly. He needed to think… figure out what the system was trying to tell him.

『Robbers… Alien tech…』

It sounded serious, like something connected to that incident last night. But how was he supposed to focus when Maya kept pulling stunts like earlier? And now this weird girl?

[Ding! Don't ignore your duty. Find out what gang you're dealing with and start your next stream.]

[Miss Mercury has also developed an interest in you!]

[Probability you will meet her tonight is quite high!]

Scott frowned deeply.

『Great. More cryptic nonsense.』

He just needed a moment of peace.

Just one minute to think.

But somehow, he knew… peace wasn't in the cards today.

━ ━ ━ ━

Back in the classroom, the dark-haired girl continued sketching with her eyes half-lidded in focus.

She didn't need to be there, of course.

But something about Scott intrigued her.

She glanced at the door he had just walked out of as her fingers delicately shaded the lines of his face in her drawing.

"Scott McQueen… mother should hear of this…"