The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Michelle hasn't been a journalist for very long. He personally prefers the term "journalist," but... well, he admits that his current workplace isn't exactly a place for serious news reporting.

"The Hooded Man" is a typical tabloid, and its reputation lives up to expectations. It's a weekly magazine that mostly repeats what others have said without bothering to verify the facts.

It wasn't exactly a glamorous job, but he had just graduated two years ago with an English degree (which turned out to be quite useless), and this job was the closest he could find to his ideal job.

To be honest, he grew up reading comics about suave reporters with secret superhero identities. Even though he couldn't become a hero, he figured he could at least be a reporter. Or rather, that was his original plan.

Things haven't been going very well so far. For the past six months, he's been stuck in the office, editing articles and learning the business.

Today is a golden opportunity for him to shine. He got this opportunity only because a senior reporter caught the flu, and no one else wanted to travel all the way to Eau Clair.

In his rather unhumble mind, he felt that his luck was finally about to change.

"Hooded Hero" has several popular sections. There's a gossip section that's basically copied from other works, which attracts some readers, but the most eye-catching articles are mostly direct interviews with second-tier heroes (who are too unknown to invite big-name heroes).

There's also a monthly "Under the Hood" section, which is basically just an excuse to show photos of certain heroes wearing swimsuits and spandex bodysuits so tight they look like they're painted on.

This section of the magazine is popular among a specific—somewhat vulgar—group of people.

His main goal today is to make achievements in interviewing.

In the relatively small circle of journalists and news professionals, securing the first interview with a hero is a big deal, exactly what he needs to gain recognition.

But first, he had to finish asking all those boring, routine questions.

His legs were trembling under the table with nervousness, and he was fiddling with the glass of ice water the waiter had brought him earlier. He hadn't even touched the complimentary garlic breadsticks yet.

He really didn't want to see breadcrumbs fall onto the front of his suit jacket.

He chose this restaurant to give people the impression that this was not just a routine interview for a tabloid that ranked seventh in sales in the region (out of nine).

Someone sat down opposite him, startling him. It was a young woman, whom he recognized easily. "The Boss," Sienna, was wearing a neatly pressed pinstripe suit and a small fedora. Her face was covered by a standard half-mask, but it did nothing to hide her eyes, which were fixed intently on him.

“Hello,” she said. “I’m ‘the boss.’ You’re here for an interview, right?”

Michelle swallowed hard, then forced a smile, trying to recall how to be friendly and approachable. "Yes, it's me. I'm Michelle from 'The Hooded Man.' It's nice to meet you." He extended his hand across the table.

Sienna stared at his hand for several seconds, then looked up at him. "We won't shake hands, you don't mind, do you?"

She didn't want to be interviewed? His heart sank, and he withdrew his hand. "Oh? Of course we'll pay you, and if you'd like to order something, please feel free. I don't want you to feel uncomfortable."

“Thank you,” Sienna said. Then, after a long pause, she added, “This is acceptable.”

Now he was even more confused. He had intended to laugh it off, perhaps as a joke, but Sienna just stared at him expressionlessly, and he realized that he might not be as charming as he thought.

Moreover, he was actually hoping she wouldn't order anything. He was paying for the meal himself, and the restaurant was a bit too expensive for him. In fact, he had only planned to order a few appetizers and nothing else.

“Well, usually these kinds of interviews… actually, how much interviewing experience do you have? I’m not trying to pry into your life behind the mask,” Michelle said.

“Not much experience,” Sienna replied.

Michel smiled and nodded, trying to ignore the bead of sweat sliding down his back. He knew his ideal job was to interview all sorts of people, but he hadn't expected a young woman to be so intimidating.

"That's alright," he said, taking a sip of water and calming himself down. He knew that much of what he was about to hear was likely fabricated.

“Generally speaking, when we conduct interviews, we want to understand your life situation. Tell us about your goals, or perhaps recall a moment of great success. The more you talk, the more material we can use to write articles. Your ideas are very important.”

Sienna raised one eyebrow. "Really?"

"Hmm. Yes? I mean, of course. People outside want to know about heroes, and newly emerging heroes are interesting, and, well, they are new faces after all."

Okay, let me ask you a few simple questions first to warm you up and get a feel for the situation. Oh, I'll record this because I'm afraid I won't remember it all, is that alright?

“Okay, let’s record it,” Sienna said.

He nodded and took out his phone. He certainly had a dedicated app for recording interviews; he opened it, pressed the record button, and then—thanks to a tip he'd gotten from another journalist—he first introduced himself, then stopped recording and listened to the playback. This ensured that both the phone's microphone and the software were working properly.

"Alright. My name is Michelle, and today I'm interviewing this new hero 'Boss' for Hoodman magazine. Is that your hero name?"

"'Boss'? Ah, yes, I think I am now."

Names are a pretty safe topic. "Could you tell us how you chose this name? Is there a story behind it?"

"Oh, actually it was Ursa Minor who gave it to me. When I started taking charge, she called me 'Boss,' and that's how the name stuck."

"The Little Ursa Minor is the companion who can turn into a bear, right?" he asked. This was big news. If he could get her to reveal some information about the other people, well, maybe he could get more interview opportunities and create a special section on it.

Sienna nodded. "Yes, it's her. But I don't really want to reveal too much about my sister—I mean, about my companions."

“Of course, don’t worry,” he said. Sisters! Sisters with superpowers! That’s so rare, both bizarre and interesting.

He couldn't write it directly, but he could subtly hint at the situation later. "So, 'Boss,' you're the leader of your team, right?"

She nodded, then he pointed to his phone, and Sienna said loudly, "Yes, that's me."

“What’s going on?” he asked.

"The other members are all children around ten years old."

Michelle laughed. "Oh, right. Well, I guess that means it's not appropriate to pry into the love lives of people in your team, is it?" He chuckled twice.

But when he saw that Sienna was just staring at him, his laughter stopped abruptly. She frowned; he sensed she wasn't amused at all.

"Sorry. Anyway, um. So, as a hero, what are your short-term and long-term goals? You've only been around for a few weeks and you're already quite famous!"

At least that's the case locally. A few minor fights won't make national news. "What are your short-term and long-term goals?"

Sienna smiled. "Take over the city."

Michelle swallowed hard, and then Sienna gave a sinister laugh.

“Just kidding,” Sienna said, her smile vanishing instantly. “We plan to help make Eau Clair a safer place to live. We’re also working with a few local businesses to make a little extra money.”

Everyone else needs college tuition, and it turns out that being a hero... isn't cheap.

"What kind of business?"

"Currently, we mainly focus on advertising and promotion. We are also working hard to expand our team, so we may be able to explore other ways to generate revenue later. Fighting crime is a good thing, but the rewards are not high."

Euclair is a pretty safe city. There aren't really any real villains here.

“Yes, there’s that magical Fabian,” he said. “And I’ve also heard of someone who can manipulate luck.”

Sienna stared at him. "We'll handle them," she said.

Michelle swallowed hard. This didn't sound very heroic. It might sound alright on paper, but the way she spoke, the unquestionable air about her, sent alarm bells ringing in his head. "Well, okay. So, what kind of recreational activities does your team usually do together?"

"We...we're mostly just working. Everyone else has their own hobbies. Ursa Minor likes watching nature documentaries and hibernating, Owl Watcher likes reading, and Little Thief...likes cooking toast. We all like...eating."

“Ah, yes, it’s pretty good,” he said.

Michelle had absolutely no idea how to write this into an interesting article; "Girls Love to Eat" was hardly a Pulitzer Prize-winning headline.