The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna continued to smile at Charm Girl, at least until a few things became clearer.

First of all, the girl looks a bit disheveled. It's not fair to say that Yezebel is the kind of woman who's overly concerned with fashion, even excessively so…

But if Sienna said she hadn't previously tried to fit this girl into that image, she would be lying.

Secondly, her sisters' faces were all dirty. All of them were.

The main problem was the bright neon stains around their lips and hands, and now she noticed that Teddy and Trinity were making a creaking sound when they walked, and their pockets were bulging.

“Just a moment,” Sienna said, holding up a finger to Charm Girl. She turned to Athena, and Sienna believed that the girl knew the consequences if she were lying.

The owl girl turned pale, glanced at her sisters, and then turned her gaze back to Sienna.

"It was Charm Girl who did it." Before Sienna could even ask, she blurted out, pointing to the young heroine's back, clearly intending to push her out to take the blame.

"What?" Charm Girl asked. "What happened to me?"

"Why are the kids' faces covered in... I hope it's just food stains?"

Charismatic Superwoman straightened up. "That wasn't my fault! She—" she said, turning to Sam, "left these kids to me, and they ran off to the corner store, so I had to chase after them, and they just kept opening things and eating them."

They wouldn't even pay! The cashier initially found it amusing, but it only lasted about a minute. Then one kid started rummaging through their trash cans, another started asking if he could buy lottery tickets, and yet another just lay down in the beer cooler!

Sienna blinked. "Did she have something to drink?" she asked.

"About two bottles of soda water," Teddy said.

Sienna stared at the bear girl, who was pacing nervously in place.

"Okay, six bottles."

Sienna took a deep breath, about to ask a few key questions, but Charm Girl seemed to have not finished speaking.

Actually, her complaints had only just begun. "By the time I pulled her out of the freezer, the other three had already made a mess of the store. They ransacked the freezer and wanted to try one of every kind of popsicle."

"Every single one!" the cashier yelled at me. Then their manager came and yelled at me too. In the end, I had no choice but to pay for everything. "Do you know how expensive those junk foods at convenience stores are?"

“But they’re delicious,” Trinity said.

"It doesn't taste good at all! It's bad for your health and teeth!" said the Charming Supergirl.

“Hmm…” Sienna began. She thought for a moment, then nodded, and continued, “We are very grateful for your contributions to our cause. I think the girls have already thanked you, right?”

The girls paused for a moment, then smiled at the Charm Girl, flashing teeth in different candy colors. This was followed by a string of "thank yous," which sounded both sweet and utterly perfunctory.

“Really?” Charm Girl asked. She crossed her arms, looking anything but amused. “I spent sixty dollars on this.”

"Sixty dollars?!" Sienna exclaimed. Well… actually, she wasn't too surprised. Her little girls could rack up a huge bill in the blink of an eye. "Wow. I'm so sorry."

"So... you're not going to pay me back?" Charm Girl asked.

Sienna looked troubled.

Charming Superwoman closed her eyes and sighed, "Wow. You know what? Never mind. That's almost my entire week's food budget."

“Oh, look, we also bought some snacks for Maple—well, another girl too!” Trinity said. She opened the bag, revealing a few candy bars and bags of chips hidden underneath.

“Oh my god, those—we didn’t pay!” said Charm Girl. Her tone was more annoyed than angry. Sienna quickly raised her hand to signal her to calm down, lest she lose her temper again.

“Don’t worry about that,” Sienna said. “I’ll, uh, handle it.” What she really meant was that she wouldn’t do anything. The store was probably one of Sam’s protection money targets anyway.

Looking back now, it seems a bit unethical to do that, and if she thought that way, it wouldn't fit the glorious image of a hero at all.

"So, I guess you want to talk about something? Or do you just want to experience an afternoon like a single mom?"

The glamorous Superwoman snorted. "No, no, I think I've had enough. Wow, I might have to call my mom afterwards and apologize. Although I don't think I was as naughty as they were when I was a kid. Anyway, yes, I want to talk about it."

Sienna nodded, then gestured towards the road ahead. "How about we talk as we walk? I don't like standing still."

And there are people watching. At least if you're walking, it will be more difficult for those who want to eavesdrop.

This might overwhelm Charm Girl, while also giving Sienna more time to think before answering questions.

“Sure, of course,” said Charm Girl. They began to walk at a leisurely pace, and Sienna noticed that her sisters had essentially surrounded the hero, with Teddy walking between her and the woman in the uniform.

If anything happens, Teddy will likely transform into his bear form immediately.

"Well then, I'd like to talk."

“Okay,” Sienna said.

She let the awkward atmosphere spread and then pass by her. She was born with awkwardness and grew up in it.

Supergirl was clearly not like that. The woman seemed uneasy, her expression somewhat tense.

"Okay, I just want to know what's going on."

Sienna frowned expressionlessly, then turned to Charm Girl. "About what?" she asked.

"About... well, about you. Listen, I originally thought you weren't involved in this game, but every time I turn around, you pop up. I'm not saying you don't have the right or anything, it's just that I feel like even though we should be on the same side, we're always working against each other."

Sienna realized that Charm Girl had no idea she wasn't a hero at all. Perhaps that was for the best. "I understand," Sienna said, "and I think I'm sorry. I've just been doing what I thought was best for me and my sister—for my team."

“Does this include a high-profile attack on other heroes?” Charm Girl asked. “You know, Black Shield was released, and nothing happened. Neither did the Cleanup Man. But he ended up spending the night at headquarters. None of your accusations have come to any conclusion.”

“That’s really strange,” Sienna said. “Nobody told me about this, and nobody explained anything to me.”

"I... actually, yes, it is indeed quite strange."

Sienna nodded. "Maybe it's because they know those accusations aren't entirely unfounded. Charm Woman, I think we see the world a little differently."

You trust those in power more than I do, and you trust the institutions that manage heroes and punish villains more.

“Yes, of course I trust them, they’re good people,” said Charming Superwoman.

“Wow,” Athena said, “that’s easy to say.”

"All looks and no brains," Teddy said.

The glamorous Supergirl was so angry that her chest puffed out, but she managed to control herself.

Sienna felt that a few insults weren't enough to make her yell back at the girls, which actually really reflects the personality traits of Glamour Woman.

“I’m sorry they said that,” Sienna said, glancing at her sisters. “They’ll apologize, right?”

Teddy and Athena apologized reluctantly, their attitude as insincere and unrefined as a receptionist who had worked a twelve-hour shift at the DMV and was calling out numbers near closing time.

“I forgive you,” Charm Girl responded, her voice flat.

“Let’s not talk about that,” Sienna said. “Listen, Charm Girl, I don’t think we need to be enemies at all. It’s just that we have different goals, which is why we happen to be in conflict. Or rather, I think that’s how it is. What are your goals?”

“I want to be a great hero,” Charm Girl said, “and I also want some recognition. But not the kind that comes without effort. What about you? I’ve told you my goals, so it’s fair for you to tell me yours, right?”

“Okay,” Sienna said, “Well, my goal… I think it’s to make this city safe. To create a place in the city where no one will bother my family.”

“And does that include arresting heroes?” Charm Girl asked.

“This might involve eradicating corruption,” Sienna said, without mentioning that she wanted to replace it with her own eccentric methods, “to eliminate all the villains in the city.” (Of course, she and her sisters weren’t villains.) “And to help the city prosper.” (So that the city’s businesses wouldn’t be so reluctant to pay protection money.)

Charm Girl glanced at Sienna out of the corner of her eye, then stopped and looked Sienna straight in the eye. "You really believe in those conspiracy theories and stuff, don't you?"

“Didn’t they contact you?” Sienna asked.

Charismatic Superwoman bit her chin. "Maybe. I'm not really sure. Everything was... blurry back then, I think. But it didn't sound like a bad thing at the time."

“Sometimes, evil deeds are very insidious. You may see them with your own eyes open, but you are completely unaware,” Sienna said.

Sam snorted behind her, but Charm Girl didn't seem to notice.

"Okay, in that case, would you like to work together? I have some plans, and I think we can make use of these girls. Consider it payment for my popsicles."