It was a calm afternoon at the Hawks Hero Agency.
For once, everything was quiet. No patrol calls, no reports due, no chaos—
just Kenta catching up on paperwork and hoping nothing weird happened today.
That hope, of course, vanished the second the door opened.
> "Hello again, Kenta!"
Kenta looked up and nearly jumped out of his chair.
Standing there, in her pink dress and soft smile, was Aerith Gainsborough—holding a basket of flowers.
> "Miss Aerith! Uh—hi! You're here again!"
Aerith laughed softly.
> "Hawks asked me to drop these off. He said the office could use a little more color."
Kenta rubbed the back of his neck awkwardly.
> "Yeah… sounds like him."
She smiled warmly and began arranging the flowers on the counter, sunlight streaming through the window and glinting off her hair.
Kenta understood, in that moment, exactly why his boss was acting so hopeless lately.
Aerith was… different.
Not flashy, not loud, not like anyone in the hero business.
Just kind. Gentle. Real.
And that terrified him.
Because if Hawks was serious—and knowing his boss, he was—that meant Kenta was watching the start of something way, way bigger than a crush.
As Aerith placed the last flower in the vase, her gaze drifted across the desk—
and froze.
> "Oh, what's this?"
Kenta followed her line of sight and felt his heart drop.
There, right on top of Hawks' desk, sat a folder.
A very familiar one.
Investment Plan — Private Property Purchase
Kenta's soul left his body.
> "Oh no…"
Aerith tilted her head, curious.
> "A house?" she said softly, flipping it open before Kenta could stop her.
Inside were photos, design notes, even landscaping sketches—
and a little handwritten line at the bottom corner:
> "Space for her garden."
Aerith smiled, her eyes lighting up.
> "Oh… it's lovely! He must really be planning ahead. A home like this, it's wonderful to see someone with such hope for the future."
Kenta tried to speak but only managed a strangled noise.
> "Y-yeah, he's… he's really into, uh… future investments."
Aerith giggled.
> "That sounds like him. He told me once he wants a place with open skies and a big yard. It suits him."
Kenta nodded stiffly, silently screaming inside.
Because he knew.
He knew that folder wasn't just Hawks' dream house—it was their dream house.
> "He's really… thoughtful," Aerith added, placing a flower from her basket on top of the folder. "Not many people think that far ahead."
Kenta smiled weakly.
> "Yeah. Thoughtful. That's one word for it."
After Aerith left, the office was quiet again.
Kenta slumped into his chair, dragging both hands down his face.
> "She saw the house plans. She liked them. She doesn't even know she's in them."
He looked up at the sunlight reflecting off the vase she'd left behind—flowers glowing gently in the light.
It made the room feel warmer.
> "She's… too nice," Kenta muttered. "No wonder boss is gone."
He glanced at Hawks' desk, at the folder she'd admired.
> "But if she ever finds out the 'investment' involves her too…"
Kenta groaned, burying his face in his hands.
> "I'm never surviving that conversation."