Scott adjusted the straps of his utility belt and slipped on his gloves, feeling the weight of his gear settle into place.
With everything else ready, he grabbed his sleek Shadow Cloak and threw it over his shoulders, pulling the hood up.
Now, he was set.
He tapped the side of his smartwatch to activate his phone's streaming app and synced it to the small camera drone he bought for $180.
The steep price still bugged him, and he frowned at the thought, catching his reflection in the mirror.
『I was planning to save some of this streaming money so I could surprise Aunt Tess with a nice dinner at a fancy restaurant when she gets back from her trip. I also wanted to take Maya on some nicer dates… we could've even gone to see that new movie that just came out. Well, that's a shame.』
With a sigh, he brushed it off.
A soft ping let him know the stream was live, and almost instantly, comments started pouring in.
[Yo! Let's go, Vigilante!]
[Finally, some action tonight!]
[Nightwatch's back, baby!]
[Nightwatch? Are we really calling him that? (ㆆ ᴗ ㆆ)]
Scott smirked beneath his mask as he read the enthusiastic responses.
"Hey, guys. Back for round two. I'm really glad you could join me again…"
He glanced down at the array of gadgets neatly spread out on the table before him: stun batons, a mini-drone, homemade smoke bombs and a sleek gadget glove.
Methodically, he pocketed each one, making sure everything was in its place.
"Alright, let's see what you guys are saying."
He scanned the comment section as his eyes darted across the screen that hovered in front of him.
[What's your favorite color, man?]
Scott grinned, shaking his head at the random question.
"Uh, favorite color? I guess black, but I'm pretty sure that's obvious by now. Maybe midnight blue too? It kinda matches the whole night vibe."
More questions followed, ranging from his fighting style to his workout routine.
Some were downright weird, but Scott took them in stride.
[What kind of food do you eat to stay in shape?]
"What do I eat? A lot of protein, honestly. But I've got a soft spot for pizza and chilli fries."
[What's your fave SciFi show?]
"SciFi show? Easy—Galactic Legends without a doubt."
[Tell us your fave romcom! ツ゚ please answer!]
"Romcom? I'm gonna say… '10 Things I Hate About You.' I really love that one!"
More comments poured in, along with a string of donations.
[Ding! NutBuster5000 donated $30]
[You've received $10 from UterusEater!]
[WhiteAngel just donated $15!]
[RopeGirlFartSniffer just gifted you a Magic Castle!]
Scott chuckled softly at their usernames.
"Uhh, thanks a lot Rope Girl Fart… uh, yeah…"
He quickly shifted back to reading more questions.
[Hey, what about your favorite celebrity?]
"Heath Ledger, man, come on. If we're talking female then probably Jennifer Lawrence… or Jessica Nocturne, she's still fresh into the spicy vampire movie business but she's kinda hot if you know what I mean, kek."
[Ooop? He didn't call any superhero? (´･_･`)]
[Maybe because the whole point of him streaming all this is to tell us superheroes shouldn't be celebrities? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯]
["Akshually" ahh comment…]
[It's called paying attention, dickwad (ㆆ _ ㆆ)]
[Show us the new gadgets already!]
While Scott was reading the chats, a new comment popped up from an anonymous user:
[What kind of girls do you like?]
He froze for a second.
Such a weird question to ask.
Since he never thought a man would ask this question, he didn't really expect any women to be watching his stream.
Some moments passed, and then he chuckled nervously.
"Uh, well… I actually have a girlfriend, so I guess I'd say someone like her?"
The chat erupted into a mix of reactions:
[Lmao, this dude really has a gf? (O∆O)]
[Character development arc when she dies tho.]
[Bet she breaks up with him, lol.]
[Lol! No way a chunni like you has a GF.]
[She's definitely gonna die for character development.]
[Is she cute tho?]
Scott rolled his eyes and chuckled a bit.
"Yes, she's cute. And no, she's not part of some character development tragedy. Kahaha, you guys are ruthless, you know that?"
As he spoke, donations continued rolling in.
Scott couldn't help but feel a surge of pride.
Tonight was really shaping up to be way bigger than his last stream.
"Alright, I appreciate all the donations, by the way. You guys are incredible."
━ ━ ━ ━
Meanwhile…
Emma sat cross-legged on her bed, her eyes fixed on the laptop screen as she watched Scott's stream closely. Her heart was pounding as she stared at his masked face, and her fingers trembled a little as she placed her hand on the screen, almost as if she could reach through and touch him.
『I need to know who you really are…』
Her eyes scanned every inch of the stream for any clues… anything she could use to track down his location. But it was frustratingly elusive. The stream couldn't be traced, and the background offered no hints.
Emma bit her lip, her face flushed.
She wanted more than just the vigilante's hero persona.
She wanted to know him… who he was under the mask.
『What's wrong with me? Why do I care so much?』
But despite her confusion, she couldn't stop herself.
Her fingers hovered over the comment box as she typed out a message before she could think better of it.
[What type of girls do you like?]
As soon as she hit send, her cheeks turned a deep shade of red. Why had she asked that? She was being ridiculous.
When Scott's response came─mentioning his girlfriend—Emma felt her chest tighten.
She clenched her phone and her knuckles went white.
『Girlfriend?』
The word echoed in her mind, and an unexpected wave of jealousy surged through her. She frowned deeply as a sharp pang of anger hit her heart.
Why was she angry? She didn't even know him. But that didn't stop the feeling from bubbling up inside her. Shaking her head, she forced herself to calm down then took a deep breath.
『Get a grip, Emma… he's just some guy…』
But the tension didn't fade. And she knew, deep down, that her obsession with the vigilante was growing.
Scott's grappling hook shot from his gadget glove.
… THWIP!
It locked onto the ledge of a nearby building.
He yanked hard, using the momentum to swing himself up and over the rooftop in a smooth, fluid motion. His feet landed softly, the impact barely making a sound as he took off again, sprinting across the flat surface.
Each leap carried him effortlessly from one building to the next.
The stream chat was buzzing with excitement:
[Wow, his parkour skills are lit! (≧∇≦)/]
[Man, that grappling hook tho!]
[This is why I'll be tuning in every time. Dude's crazy fast.]
[Mad respect for that landing!]
Scott smirked, glancing at the chat on his phone as he vaulted over a ventilation unit and smoothly rolled back onto his feet. Without delay, he fired his grappling hook again and this time swung across an alley with perfect control.
One user under the name PhantomMuse89 asked another curious question that caught his attention.
[Hey, what do you think of Miss Mercury?]
It was Emma's anonymous account.
Scott was already trying to adjust to this particular viewer, who kept asking the most out-of-pocket questions.
Before he could respond, the chat exploded with ridiculous comments:
[Miss Mercury?? I'd sniff her farts, no joke.]
[I bet her sweaty gym clothes are to die for.]
[Can she just step on me? I'll die happy.]
[Nah, Rope Girl's way hotter, no competition.]
[Miss Mercury's overrated. All looks, no worth.]
[She's better off opening a FansOnly account and just showing us what them titties do (・ε・`*) …]
[Nah, y'all are so down bad it ain't even funny fr, wtf are thesw comments (ㆆ ᴗ ㆆ)]
[Brills cho, brills]
Scott rolled his eyes as he swung to the next rooftop, shaking his head at the madness filling the chat. He couldn't help but feel second-hand embarrassment for PhantomMuse89.
『Why even ask such a weird question, jeez…』
He sighed and was just about to type a response when a new message popped up on his screen:
[Maya: Hey, what are you doing?]
A slight smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he quickly shifted his attention back to her chat.
"Sorry guys, my girlfriend…"
He pushed the previous question about Miss Mercury to the back of his mind.
[Scott: Just doing my thing, y'know. Catching up on the new episodes of Galactic Legends. Wbu?]
Watching the stream from her mansion, Emma frowned and hugged her teddy bear tighter. Her fingers hovered over her keyboard, but she couldn't shake the frustration building inside her.
『This girlfriend of his really seems to catch his attention easily. They might've just started dating, or he could just be a really good boyfriend… not that it's any of my business. After all, he probably thinks PhantomMuse89 is a weirdo.』
Emma let out a sulky huff and sank deeper into the cushions.
"I wonder what she has that I don't…? I mean, I haven't even met him yet, but she can't be prettier than me, right? I'm a celebrity, I have money, and I have a smoking hot body too. It's not like I'm bragging."
Meanwhile, the conversation between Scott and Maya continued on screen.
[Maya: Haha, that sounds fun. Just wanted to check on you, see what you were up to.]
[Scott: Same here, just making sure you're good. You disappeared on me earlier. Where'd you go that time?]
Maya's fingers hesitated over the keyboard.
She didn't want to bring up Vincent or her involvement with him just yet.
[Maya: Oh, nowhere important. Just had to handle some personal stuff. You know how it is.]
Scott's eyebrows furrowed as he read her response. Something didn't sit right, but he decided to let it slide for now.
[Scott: Gotcha. Well, hope it wasn't too stressful.]
[Maya: Nah, all good. What about you? What's your plan for the night?]
Scott leaned back on the edge of the building and caught his breath as he scanned the cityscape.
[Scott: It's a bit late, but maybe I'll visit Jake later to help him build that Red Star Battleship he was talking about.]
[Maya: Be careful out there, alright?]
Scott grinned, amused by her concern.
[Scott: Always am. What about you? What're you up to?]
Maya bit her lip.
She was going to have to lie again.
Instead of telling Scott about her impromptu trip to Fremont, she deflected again.
[Maya: Nothing much. Just relaxing. Maybe I'll watch a movie or something later.]
Scott didn't press any further, simply nodding to himself as he began setting up for his next move.
[Scott: Alright, well, keep me updated. I'll text you after I wrap things up here.]
[Maya: Will do. Stay safe, babe ♡]
…
Emma frowned as she watched him text his girlfriend.
『Tch, it's probably some cheesy stuff…』
She squeezed her teddy bear tighter, feeling jealousy creep in as she became more curious about what they were talking about. For now, all she could do was sit and sulk, wondering when—if ever—she would get the same attention.