Compulsion

Chapter 37: Gossips and Gasses

"Nice...! Got outta talkin' about little old me by pushing Mount-Lady in front of a bus...!"

Izuku's thumbs hooked onto his belt straps as he followed after Mount-Lady. "I didn't do anything like that..." The streets were darkening and the lamps above preemptively switched on before the sun fell too low. "How was I supposed to know Woods was gonna upset her...?"

"But, it doesn't matter to you whether or not you knew it was gonna happen... It did... And it's on you because you are a coward..."

At this time, there would be an expectation of students and workers getting out of their respective responsibilities and heading home. However, it was quiet with the pathways near vacant of any traveler.

"If the streets were crowded, she would've called for the van..." The Heroine had ditched her mask and horns, holding them by their straps at her side.

He tilted his head to peer over her shoulder, noting the glow of a screen. "She's been on her phone since the attack... What has she been looking for...?" He heard something akin to a hiss from her as her thumb tapped away. "Mount-Lady was a big eye-catcher when she first debuted... She popped onto the news on occasion for an interview... Did a few commercials and was even on some dating show... So, scheduled appearances were normal, but the spontaneous public sightings practically disappeared... Until today..." His head teetered, "Suddenly, few and far between became the here and now..."

Izuku found his phone tucked between his waist and belt. The orbs on his visor widened before shrinking. Cracks had decorated the glass surface like malformed webbing. He pressed a button on the side before tapping on the screen.

"At least, it still works..." he thought.

The ol' Hero forums were still up as they almost always were. Due to his previous investigation, navigation to the chats pertaining to Mount-Lady was quick. The rooms dedicated to sightings and gossip were the most active, and so chaotic that one would think Mount-Lady died – or rather came back from it.

The previous posts were all about her string of appearances on TV or live-events. Now, it seemed like a very vocal part of her fan-base were frothing at the mouth as she appeared in-person. There was a flood of pictures that were just of her standing around or talking to police with perverse captions and comments. These were disturbing before, but now, they were bile-inducing as he felt static on his skin. Beyond that, were rumblings of questions, theories, and responses.

-------------------------------------------------------------

[Mount-Lady's patrolling again?!]

[Why was she patrolling with Kamui Woods!?]

[Who were those other three?]

[Kamui Woods has sidekicks?!]

[Mount-Lady has sidekicks!?]

[Who the hell was this jag-off in green?]

[Why was Mount-Lady wearing his gear?]

[Was he protecting her? That's so cute!]

[Are they together!?]

[No way! He's probably her sidekick. Kamui Woods on the other hand...]

[Mount-Lady dating her sidekick would be so hot...]

[I knew she'd be into younger guys.]