The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Athena, being a caring younger sister, kept her attention focused on Handshaw and his bodyguard. The bodyguard wasn't a major problem. Indeed, he was dressed all in black, had a gloomy expression, crossed his arms, and leaned against a pillar in that cool pose. However, Athena caught a glimpse of his eyes, and his thoughts put her at ease.

Most of the time, he was constantly thinking, "Oh no, oh no, oh no." He just used the kind of words his older sister disliked. Athena thought that simply thinking those words shouldn't be against the rules; otherwise, his older sister would definitely be furious about some of the things Athena had in her mind.

So she didn't take this bodyguard seriously. Judging from his outward demeanor, he carried a knife and a baton, ready to use them if necessary. He had no superpowers, meaning he was just an ordinary, uninteresting person. Although he was bigger and probably stronger than Athena, she wasn't worried at all. If he dared to cause trouble, she'd definitely teach him a lesson.

Handshaw, on the other hand, was quite capable. His mind worked incredibly fast, making him difficult to understand. Athena struggled to glean any information from him, and his gaze lingered on her for too long to allow her to unravel his complex and intricate thoughts.

She sensed that Handshaw wanted something from his older sister, and that he had reservations about Trinity, Athena, and his older sister. Athena smiled inwardly. He wasn't actually that worried, but she could find a way to make him more worried.

Handshaw gestured to the table where he had been sitting when they came in. “Shall we sit down and talk?” he asked.

“Okay,” the older sister said. She walked to the table, pulled out a chair, and sat down.

Athena stood to the right of her eldest sister, while Trinity stood to the left; neither of them sat down. "Shake Hands" glanced at them and smiled. The smile wasn't very genuine; Athena didn't even need her mind-reading abilities to tell.

“So, I suppose you’re here because you have questions to ask,” Handshaw said tactfully. “Of course, as always, I will do my best to answer the questions I can, and I will try my best to find out what I don’t know, but there are conditions.”

The older woman frowned. "Will the conditions change now? What were you trying to do when you shook hands with me earlier?"

Handshaw raised his hands. "I just want to make sure nothing unpleasant happens during our meeting, that's all. You know what my abilities are, right?"

“I don’t know!” Trinity exclaimed cheerfully.

"Handshake" blinked, then looked at Trinity. "I can make a deal, and then finalize it with a handshake. The parties will then be bound—though not forced—to fulfill their part of the agreement. Of course, I have other abilities, but they all revolve around this core concept."

Athena nodded slightly. This ability was quite impressive. Not necessarily in combat, but she could see its usefulness in the right situations. However, her own abilities were far superior.

Sienna, the eldest sister, stared at Handshaw for a long time, her brow furrowed and her face contorted with anger. Athena was relieved that she wasn't the one being stared at like that. "You're not allowed to do that again," Sienna said.

"I'll listen to you," Handshaw said, a smile still on his face.

The eldest sister's face grew even darker. "You don't seem to understand. You absolutely must not do this again. If you do it again, there will be consequences."

Athena swallowed. That sounded pretty serious. Like saying you have to go to bed without snacks.

She glanced at Handshaw, looked him straight in the eye, then blinked and turned to her older sister. Sienna didn't look too pleased… but why did "Handshake" find her so charming when she was angry?

Handshaw shifted in his seat. "Shall we get back to business? I'm sure you have a lot of questions to ask."

“Indeed,” the older sister said, “first, let’s talk about the terms.”

“If you’d like,” Handshaw stroked his chin, “the difficulty lies in the fact that different questions have different values. What’s your current liquid asset situation? Can you afford the answers to the questions you want to know?”

Sienna pursed her lips. It wasn't exactly a pout. "Alright then. Perhaps we can make a deal. I'll ask you a question first, you tell me the price, and then we'll see what to do, okay?"

"of course can."

"Alright. In that case, what are that cabal doing in Eau Claire?"

Handshaw shrugged. "I don't know much, but I might be able to give you some hints. Normally, talking about them doesn't do me any good, but things seem to have changed a bit lately."

"How exactly will it change?"

Handshaw shook his head. "This answer also comes at a price."

The older sister snorted. "Fine. What's the price?"

"How about this, it's free. I'll ask you a question, and you just need to answer truthfully. You should know that a lot of people are asking about you and the people around you. Don't be so surprised. You've been on the news twice in just a few weeks."

“I…I think I can answer some questions,” the older woman said. “But who decides which question is more valuable?”

“I think this is something we both need to decide. If you’re willing, I can guarantee it’s a fair deal by shaking hands. My abilities work on myself too,” Handshaw suggested. As far as Athena could tell, he was telling the truth.

“Big sister,” Athena said in a low voice, “if he’s trying to lie to you, I’ll tell you.”

"Oh, thank you, 'Owl Watcher,' this has been a great help."

Athena smugly adjusted her feathers, deliberately ignoring the brief look of confusion on his face as he "shaked hands." He didn't know what her abilities were, which made him nervous. Very well.

"So, in order to get information about the cabal's activities in Auclair City... could you tell me about your team? Just tell me the names of all the members, and maybe a few interesting anecdotes about them."

“I think I can do that,” the older woman said. “Here are ‘Owl Watcher’ and ‘Robber.’ As you can tell from their names, one is owl-themed and the other is raccoon-themed. You’ve also seen ‘Ursa Minor,’ and I think she must have made an impression on you.”

“Indeed,” he said, his smile becoming a little stiff, “So what are everyone’s superpowers?”

“I don’t know if I should say this,” Sienna said.

Handshaw nodded. "That's true, then I won't ask any further questions."

"Now can you tell me about that cabal?"

Handshaw narrowed his eyes. "I'll tell you everything I know, but I think the information I've provided is worth a few more questions from you. Of course, I don't mind if you pay the price later."

“Okay,” said Sienna, the eldest sister.

"That cabal sent three of their heroes to Auclare. 'Black Shield'—you've already met him—'Thunder Clot' and 'Spin the Winner.' Spin the Winner is currently working with the local hostage rescue team to investigate some corruption. I suspect he's actually trying to plant more cabal members within the Auclare hostage rescue team."

As for 'Thunder Clot,' it seems he got into trouble elsewhere and was sent to O'Clair City. It's a relatively remote place for hero activities, so they're letting him lay low for a while.

“So what is this cabal’s objective here?” Sienna asked.

“During the last ‘Superpower Day,’ a staggering number of new superpowered individuals appeared in Auclair City. Including you and your young companions, Miss ‘Ursa Minor,’ and your lucky friend, there were roughly a dozen more people with superpowers. Last year, Auclair City only had four.”

“That’s quite a significant increase,” said Sienna, the eldest sister.

"Yes! The Cabal certainly has the idea of ​​recruiting new people, and they want to make sure they can recruit these new heroes before they rise to prominence or move to other cities and disrupt their plans there. I still think the Cabal's revenue comes mostly from advertising."

Athena blinked. How could villains make money from advertisements? That's so strange. Don't they have time to rob banks like proper villains do?

“Thank you,” said Sienna, the eldest sister. “I think it’s your turn to ask questions now.”

Handshaw nodded. "Are you single?"

"Huh—what?"

The man sitting opposite her shrugged. He still had a smile on his face, but Athena knew it was more genuine this time. "This question is quite simple."

"But why ask that?"

"Because half of the questions people ask me about you revolve around this kind of gossip. It's not exactly earth-shattering news, but it's just the kind of thing people love to talk about. There are so many rumors circulating, you know."

Personally, I think your...girls are too young to be your children, but many people don't think so.

“What? No, they are my sisters,” the eldest sister protested.

"That answers another question I had, thank you. How many people are in your team? The appearance of the 'robbers' was quite unexpected."

“There are... a few more of us,” the eldest sister admitted.

“I hope to get a more accurate answer,” Handshaw said.

The older sister wasn't satisfied with this answer. She glared at Handshaw. "My priority is the team's safety. I can't let anyone know anything that might be detrimental to us."

"I understand, how about asking some more harmless questions? You know, the tabloid-style questions used to generate gossip. Are you dieting to stay so slim? Do you have an exercise plan? Who makes your clothes, your siblings?"

Are any of them followers? Are there any rumors you particularly dislike? Have you had any conflicts with any celebrities? Do you have a favorite hero? Are there any internal conflicts among your siblings? What do your parents think about this? Is it true that you had a relationship with 'Glamour Woman'?

Athena glanced at her eldest sister, marveling at her ability to maintain such composure, while inwardly she was frantic. Truly, her eldest sister, Sienna, was incredible.