The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna watched as Charm Girl turned and left Fabian, then stared at her. "What are you doing here?" she asked.

For a fleeting second, just a moment of irrationality, Sienna really wanted to tell her the truth. Like, "We came here to stop you from taking Fabian back over there, because he might tell you we're actually the villains, which is true, but to be honest, I'm trying to be a good person and don't want the police coming to my door. Thanks."

Fortunately, she had more self-control than her sisters, so instead of answering, she instinctively straightened up and looked directly at the heroine. Then she realized she had absolutely no idea what to say.

“We’re here to teach you a lesson,” Teddy said, coming to her rescue.

That's pretty much what it means.

Sienna's gaze swept over all the heroes before her. Charm Girl looked furious, Hindsight looked bewildered, Leopard's eyes darted between the Sienna sisters and Fabian, and then there was Black Shield… The last one was difficult to read. Her costume included a helmet that obscured her face, and Sienna could only infer her thoughts through her body language—and guessing someone's mind from their shoulder movements was hardly Sienna's forte.

There was one oddball in the group: Chains. He wore a tight-fitting spandex uniform that failed to conceal the flabby flesh around his waist. The uniform was bright blue and white, the same color as the chains wrapped around his waist and arms. The chain links were also painted with the same blue and white pattern.

Sienna pointed at him, then at Black Shield. She had an idea, though it was unlikely to work. "The problem is, Glamour Woman, why are you hanging out with two notorious villains?"

That's how we turned the situation around.

"What?" Leopard asked. He glanced at Sienna, then at the people around him. He quickly took a small step away from the Black Shield.

"What are you talking about?" Charm Girl asked. "We're here to arrest him." She pointed behind her, roughly in the direction where Fabian was standing.

“He’s just a bank robber,” Athena said. For a moment, Sienna worried that her sisters would ruin her rather poor plan, but then Athena continued, “We know what he’s done—just robbing people. But Chains has done things only villains do, like stealing money and beating people.”

“Exactly,” Teddy chimed in, “it’s the kind of ‘fun’ thing.”

Athena nodded. "So, the boss dealt with him, and we helped out. Now he works for you, doesn't he?"

“That was a misunderstanding,” the chain said.

“Liar!” Athena retorted.

“Can we set his pants on fire?” Trinity asked in unison.

Charm Girl shook her head, as if she couldn't bear to believe what was happening before her eyes. "Listen, Wrap-Up may have made a small mistake, but that doesn't mean he's not a hero. Show them Wrap-Up."

The chain hesitated for a moment, muttered something, and then some words appeared above his head.

[The Finisher]

[Level 1]

【hero】

“See?” Charm Girl said. “He’s a hero.”

Sienna froze. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see people on the sidewalk, on the street, and even inside the store Fabian was about to rob. They were all watching, all listening. She knew why. So many masked people gathered together, one of them proudly displaying his identification. They would definitely take photos and videos, and then brag about them later.

The fights between masked men are like car crashes, but for onlookers, they are a thousand times more captivating than car crashes.

And now all of them were staring at her. She felt as if she were standing naked under a spotlight. It felt exactly like when she did that play in third grade. Her heart clenched, and for a moment, she wasn't even sure if she could breathe.

Then she noticed Trinity, who was hiding behind Fabian, picking her nose.

She almost snapped at the girl. What was Trinity doing? There were so many people watching! She… She took a deep breath and focused her attention on Charm Girl. She realized that all she had to do was treat these heroes like mischievous kids. It was simple; she dealt with kids like that every day.

“The system might consider him a hero,” Sienna said, “but I don’t think so. The same goes for Black Shield over there. I don’t want to hear any excuses. Just because someone can make a little glowing sign saying they’re innocent doesn’t mean they’re a good person.”

Charm Girl seemed genuinely stumped. This reminded Sienna of when she explained to her sisters that stealing was wrong, even if they weren't caught.

“We all know what he’s done,” Sienna said. “I’m surprised you’re willing to fight alongside him.”

“Hey!” Chain—no, she should be called the Cleanup Queen, she thought—said, “Listen, I may not have been a good person before, but shouldn’t I have a second chance?”

"If your label says 'villain,' would you get a second chance?" Siye asked.

He scoffed. "Yeah, no, but I'm a hero now."

“And that’s why I can’t trust you. You expect me to judge you based on a shining word, not on your actions,” Sienna said.

“Listen, can we catch that guy first, and then talk about this?” Charm Girl said, gesturing towards Fabian.

Hindsight is 20/20. "Yes. I'm also quite interested in what you're about to say, but now doesn't feel like the right time or place to discuss it."

"We're not just going to talk, are we?" Teddy asked, clearly disappointed. "I came here to fight."

“We don’t need ten heroes to catch one guy who’s at most a B-class villain,” Charm Girl said, waving in Fabian’s direction. “Last time, Tailbreaker and I almost caught him, and it was just the two of us.”

“Athena,” Sienna whispered, “it’s your turn to shine.”

Athena nodded, then gave a smile like an angel. If Sienna didn't know her well, she might have thought Athena was the most innocent, sweetest, and most adorable girl there. "We think there's more than one villain," Athena said, "so it's about six against three now."

“She’s attacking me!” Black Shield said. This was the first thing she had said since they met. She pointed at Athena, “Right now, she’s mentally attacking me.”

The leopard glanced at the black shield, then at Athena. "What? What are you talking about?"

“I can feel it.” Black Shield said, suddenly stretching his arms to the sides, and two black circles appeared, with two cracks on them.

Sienna tensed up. Unfortunately, both Leopard and Hindsight seemed willing to settle things, and both were prepared to de-escalate the situation. Sienna guessed that Charm Girl was more concerned about her image, while Tailbreaker just looked confused.

She knew her plan would only work if her opponent made a foolish mistake, but now it seemed the plan was going to fall through.

"Chains! Go after Charm Girl! Black Shield, grab the Leopard. I'll take care of Hindsight!" the amazing Fabian shouted.

The heroes who had already partially sided with Sienna and her group were caught off guard. Fabian charged toward hindsight, drawing his sword from its sheath with a grating metallic scraping sound.

Moments later, everything descended into chaos. Fabian lunged at Houjianming, who stumbled backward, his arms flailing wildly.

Charm Girl threw out a dazzling ball of light, and for a moment Sienna could only stare at it before quickly looking away.

Just then, she saw the Finisher swing his two-tone chain at Fabian.

Fabian whirled around, his sword extended, the tip sliding perfectly into the hole of the foremost link. He continued spinning, then swung the sword forcefully, sending the chain flying and striking Leopard squarely in the face.

The situation was getting out of control. Black Shield rushed towards Fabian, but Hou Jianming, who was still lying on the ground, stuck out his leg and tripped her.

Athena burst into laughter. "That was brilliant!" she exclaimed.

Sienna looked around. Some citizens were scattering and fleeing. Others, lacking common sense, were running towards the scene of the fight.

In that moment of distraction, she nearly got hurt; a chain swung at her, but luckily Teddy dove to avoid it hitting her head. "Alright, that's enough," she shouted from the roadside. "Teddy, go deal with the Cleanup Master. Athena, continue what you're doing. Trinity, go!"

"Okay!" Teddy replied.

She charged into the melee, then leaped into the air and transformed into a joyful, roaring grizzly bear.

"Don't do that again!" the Finisher shouted, and then Teddy rammed his head into his forehead.

The remarkable Fabian turned his attention to Charm Girl, who was cursing and trying to dodge his attacks. She threw several orbs of light in succession, which exploded with deafening bangs, triggering car alarms and causing everyone to frown.

Black Shield yelled something at Leopard, who ran incredibly fast; Sienna could only catch glimpses of him occasionally, like a blurry shadow. At that moment, Trinity joined the fray, she and her alter ego lunging at Black Shield from either side, clinging to him tightly.

Somehow, Sienna knew it was all her fault. So she had to find a way to fix it.