Disclaimer: I don't own jack!

Of Butterfly Wings

Chapter Forty-One: Highlight

Kagome stretched her arms high up into the air. She shifted in her seat as she arched her back and gave a low sigh.

Touya's internship at the police station had started a few days ago. He'd call her every night and enthusiastically regale her with every little detail that'd occurred during the day. From the boring pickpocket calls to how one of the officers had decided to prank his coworkers and replaced the batteries of all the smoke detectors with bad ones, leading to a chorus of chirping that'd driven everyone nuts. Naturally said officer was given the scolding of a lifetime but it'd gotten a laugh from everyone else.

She didn't want to bother him while he was enjoying himself, so she'd decided to keep herself busy during the break by watching mid-morning talk shows. Rin was booked to the brim with extracurricular activities to keep her from getting restless. So she had more time to herself than she'd like.

Kagome listened as the familiar tune of the talk show host's opening began to play. She sat back on her seat as she gave the show her full attention.

A woman in her mid-twenties strolled out into the stage. Her skin was a brilliant shade of green and her hair was a cotton-candy pink. Her exotic appearance was always what brought people in but the real reason anyone watched her show was her fearless personality and willingness to discuss uncomfortable topics. Kagome always found a mild sense of comfort in watching shows like these. It gave her the sense that she wasn't completely alone in this twisted up world.

Granted, she now had a lot more people at her side than ever before. Namely Touya and his family. She no longer felt the pang of loneliness like she once used to but she still found herself enjoying these programs all the same.

Kagome tucked her knees to her chest as she continued to watch.

"Welcome ladies and gentleman! I've got a special recommendation for all of you today!" Glitter Bomb, the actress' stage name, gestured towards the screen behind her. "You know I originally had a different plan for today but last week my friend approached me and told me that she found this amazing book. It'd been the subject of many discussions in her book club and she'd been recommending it to everyone she could. Naturally, she told me that I had to try it out."

Glitter Bomb shot the crowd a look which elicited some mild laughter.

Kagome listened as the woman pressed on.

"She told me that this book would completely change my life." She the paused, taking a small breath as she did. "And change my life, it did."

Glitter Bomb continued, "This novel has made me feel things I never thought I would. I cried more times than I could count but I found myself unable to put it down. Once I started, I ended up reading through to the end in a single night."

Kagome froze as a familiar cover flashed across the screen.

"The book is called Frozen Hearts. It's unlike anything that I've read before in that there are two protagonists." A stock image of two twin girls was briefly shown to the audience, "These girls are identical twins born into a family that had them for a specific reason. You see, they wanted a child that could carry on both their quirks. The eldest daughter possesses the perfect combination of their parents powers, but the youngest…" Glitter Bomb paused for dramatic effect. "She was born with an incomplete quirk—a failure if you will."

Kagome felt her heart stutter in her chest as the audience fell silent.

"The story follows both girls as they grow up together. From adolescence to early adulthood. They face unprecedented circumstances and are struggling to find their way in life. The oldest daughter feels crushed by the weight of their parents expectations while the youngest feels completely abandoned." The hostess pressed her palm over her chest, "I'm a mother now and so when I read this book, I kept picturing my child being in that situation. Being forced to be perfect at all times and being forced to fight for even a scrap of love and affection. When I say that this novel changed me, I mean it."

Glitter Bomb dabbed tears from her eyes, "I've spent the last few days reconsidering my relationship with my daughter. I will not be ashamed to admit that I spent quite a while hugging her and telling her how much I loved her."

The camera panned across the crowd as strangers she'd never met were wiping stray tears from their eyes.

"So today, I wanted to discuss this book and open the floor to people who have been in this situation." Glitter Bomb shifted topics as they first guest walked onto the stage.

Kagome quickly turned the volume down.

She'd already lived through that hell once, she didn't need to see more of it again.

The heavy beating of her heart drowned out the sound of everything else. Curious, she quickly opened her phone and selected her banking app. She hadn't checked it recently as she knew that the first set of Royalties would take a few months to come through. So there'd be no point in checking it before the first set was processed.

Kagome swallowed thickly as her eyes widened.

She blinked once then twice.

That could not be correct. There were far too many zeroes for that number to be accurate.

Kagome reloaded the app and stared in utter shock as she read the number again.

She then glanced up at the television. If this was the amount before Glitter Bomb's program aired then in four months time, the number would be at least double what it was now.

She threw herself onto her back as the shock still coursed through her veins.

It would be no exaggeration to say that she'd become rich overnight. She'd never expected her novel to take off nor receive any sort of publicity.

Kagome shifted as she turned the volume up after the guest walked off the stage.

"We did attempt to reach out to the author for their comment however we haven't received any response yet." Glitter Bomb took her seat at the center of the stage, "There's almost no public information available about Hinode Tomoe so it's believed that the author is using a pen name."

Kagome buried her face into her pillow and fought the urge to scream.

Hinode Tomoe had been the name she'd chosen for herself when she'd published the book. It didn't have any real meaning to her. Honestly it was just supposed to act as a buffer to keep the media's attention off of her. The very last thing she wanted to do was make any sort of public appearance. The chaos surrounding the Sports Festival was still going strong.

Her gaze lowered towards her phone. Although maybe a written correspondence wouldn't be so bad? She'd need a little bit of help to ensure that the information wasn't traced back to her though.

Kagome paused as a text from Touya came in.

I saw Glitter Bomb's show today. The receptionist had it on. Congratulations! I told you it'd succeed.

He sent another GIF of a smug cat right afterwards.

Kagome gave a soft whine.

She sent him a GIF of a cat burying itself beneath a bed of sheets in response.

Well, at least now they wouldn't have to worry about finances.

Come what may, they would be able to support themselves with this. It was still too early for them to start house hunting but at least for now they were set.

She sent Touya one last text.

Thanks for convincing me.

Otherwise she'd never would've had the courage to go through with it.

Kagome settled on her bed as she combed through the never-ending stream of emails in her inbox.

Now the real work would begin—responding to fan mail.

She cracked her knuckles as she got to work.