It had been a week since the party.
For most people, it was just another formal gathering, soon forgotten.
But for me, it was the day I met someone who made sense to talk to.
So when my mother mentioned that the Yaoyorozu family had invited us over for tea, I didn't complain.
Rich kid social calls were usually just a way for parents to compare whose child was more "promising." But if Momo were there, maybe it wouldn't be so bad.
---
The Yaoyorozu estate was even bigger than ours — sprawling gardens, tall stone walls, a mansion that looked like it belonged in a European drama. The kind of place that quietly whispered, old money.
Momo greeted me at the entrance with that same polite bow from the party, but her smile was warmer this time.
"Kuroyami-kun. Welcome."
"Thanks. You can call me Akihiro, you know," I said quietly as we stepped inside.
Her eyes flickered with amusement. "Then you can call me Momo."
---
Our parents disappeared into one of the sitting rooms for tea and business talk, leaving us with a chaperone — a kind-looking maid who clearly had instructions to keep an eye on us but not hover too closely.
"Want to see the library?" Momo asked.
It wasn't a question.
The Yaoyorozu library put ours to shame. Rows upon rows of books, from thick encyclopedias to sleek design manuals. Momo moved through them like it was her kingdom.
"You read all of these?" I asked, scanning the shelves.
"Not all. But I'm working on it." She pulled down a slim chemistry book and flipped through it absentmindedly. "I need to understand materials to make better things with my quirk."
---
We ended up in the garden after a while, walking along the stone paths between neatly trimmed hedges. The afternoon air was warm, and the sound of water trickling from a fountain made it feel even calmer.
Then, without warning, Momo turned to me.
"Can I ask you something?"
"Sure."
"At the party… when I asked about your quirk… You said you'd only seen 'glimpses' of it."
"Right."
Her gaze was steady. "You didn't seem… unsure. More like you were avoiding telling me."
I raised an eyebrow. "You're reading a lot into a single sentence."
She smiled faintly. "Maybe. But I think you're hiding something."
---
I didn't answer right away.
Instead, I picked up a small pebble from the path, tossing it lightly in my palm. "You're not wrong. But it's not because I don't trust you. I just… don't like showing my cards too soon."
She crossed her arms. "That sounds like something a grown-up would say."
I shrugged. "Maybe I grew up early."
---
We reached a shaded part of the garden, under the arching branches of a large tree. The sunlight here was weaker, broken into shifting patterns by the leaves.
I didn't think much of it… until I noticed Momo watching me closely again.
The air here felt familiar.
"Watch," I said quietly.
I stepped a little deeper into the shade.
The breeze shifted, the light seemed to bend just slightly, and for a second — only a second — I let Eclipse blur the edges of my presence.
Not a full vanish. Not enough to raise alarms.
But enough for her to blink and tilt her head, like she'd lost sight of me for a heartbeat.
Then I stepped back into normal light, as if nothing had happened.
---
Momo frowned slightly. "What was that?"
I smiled. "Just a trick I'm working on."
Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't press further. "You're… interesting, Akihiro."
"Thanks. You're not so bad yourself."
---
The rest of the afternoon passed easily. We sat under the tree, talking about little things — schoolwork, the weird habits of our tutors, the fact that neither of us really liked the taste of caviar but always got served it at formal dinners.
When the sun began to dip lower, the maid appeared to escort me back inside. Our parents were waiting by the entrance, still deep in polite conversation.
"Did you two have fun?" my mother asked.
"Yes," Momo answered for both of us. "It was… a good afternoon."
And as we said goodbye, I could tell from her look that she'd be thinking about that moment in the garden for a while.