The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

"Throw it!" Liam shouted. "Come on, boy, help me change my luck!"

Maple Leaf counted the number of dice in her hand to make sure it matched the number of small plastic models on the table, then threw the dice into the tray, where they clattered.

Finally, the dice stopped rolling, and she immediately saw the numbers. "Hmm, four dice showed a number greater than four," she said.

"Yeah!" Liam cheered. "Eat my laser, Lucas."

The boys leaned closer to the table; their "battle" with their little plastic models had temporarily come to an end, and they began the process of moving on to the next round.

Maple Leaf wasn't sure if she understood the rules, even though Liam, Lucas, and Ethan had all explained them to her.

The problem is that even when all three of them explain it at the same time, she can't figure out which rule corresponds to which part of the game.

Everything was quite confusing, but she... well, she was glad to be involved a little.

Maple Leaf walked to the side and picked up a model.

It was a tiny green figure sitting inside a small mech pieced together from scraps. She wasn't very satisfied.

If she were to design the mecha, she would definitely equip it with even more guns.

She put the model back and walked away from the table. Chloe was a short distance away, drinking a can of soda. "Tired?" she asked.

Maple Leaf shook her head. Her thoughts were racing, but she wasn't tired. "I'm fine," she said.

"Then why did you come here? You couldn't have known we were here beforehand. Or did you know?" Chloe asked.

“I don’t know,” Maple Leaf said. “Maybe we should install cameras in the tunnel to increase security.”

Perhaps she could build a few defensive mechs? She really wanted to build one or two, and strengthening security seemed like a good reason.

"I came here simply because...I think I need to calm down and think?"

Chloe smiled, reached out and gently patted Maple Leaf's head, feeling quite pleased.

"You seem to have a lot on your mind, huh?"

Maple Leaf was about to nod when she stopped. Would nodding stop Chloe from patting her head?

“Yes,” she replied simply. There were indeed too many things to say—about her eldest son, about herself, and about her entire family.

She had so much to do, yet she wasn't sure if she could manage it all. There was just too much to do.

“You look so young, you shouldn’t be so worried,” Chloe said. “But I guess it’s not a matter of age, is it?”

Well, at this rate, we'll be here for a few more hours. I'd like to join in and play a round too.

If you'd like, you can play with us. Hey, do you like painting models? I have so many toy soldier models to paint!

“I think I like it,” Maple Leaf said.

Before long, Chloe led her to a table further inside the carriage, then took out a small box containing paint, small brushes, and some tissues.

Chloe showed Maple some of her other drawings so she could see what colors to use, and then left her there to draw by herself.

At first, Maple wasn't sure if she really wanted to paint the model. What if she messed it up? But Chloe said it was okay, so she decided to give it a try.

Before long, Maple Leaf was biting her tongue, applying paint not only to the model but also to her fingers.

This is also a form of creation, and this is where her superpowers come in handy, but she doesn't intend to make it anything special; she's just painting a small model.

This model looks like some kind of sniper character, carrying a large gun and wearing a small cloak for concealment.

Maple Leaf dipped her brush in paint and then focused intently on painting details on the model's cloak.

This is quite different from what she usually does. There are no problems to solve, no urgent needs to be met. She's just coloring for the sake of coloring.

It felt pretty good, but also a bit annoying, because she had a superpower constantly chattering in her head, offering suggestions.

She resisted the urge to do as it said. Chloe didn't need her little model to move, or for the gun to fire real lasers... Maybe she could make the cloak actually make the model a little invisible, which was easy enough, but that was all!

So far, Maple Leaf and her superpowers have reached a certain understanding.

Her superpowers provide her with creative and feasible ideas, from which Maple Leaf sometimes chooses to make things.

However, what she makes must be useful, either to herself or to her sisters.

Maple Leaf thought it was a great superpower. They got along very well.

However, they could get along even better.

Name: Maple Leaf Isabella

[Faction: Villain, Little Sister]

[Alias: None]

[Level: Level 1]

[Ability: Curse Builder]

[Sticks and Stones Level: 2]

[Knowledge Level of Similar Biting: Max Level]

Points: Ability Slots: 0

Skill upgrade points: 3

Skill Slots: 1

This means she has three skill upgrade points and a brand new, unused skill slot.

She earned these points while her sisters fought the rattlesnake.

They used the equipment she made, which fulfilled the requirements of a mission.

That's enough to give her a skill slot. She really needs it.

If she wants to catch up with her stronger sisters and become more useful, then she has to become stronger quickly!

Maple Leaf (in her mind) grabbed the empty skill slot and stuffed a free point into it.

[Sticks and Stones Level: 1. The user cannot be interrupted or stopped while working. In this state, the user generates heat; if this state persists for an extended period, illness may result.]

[Cooling time: 24 hours]

Maple Leaf blinked. This…is indeed a skill! She smiled, pondering how best to use it.

If they fight the rattlesnake again, she can use this skill to fix her machine on the spot, at least until it's fixed and she doesn't have to worry about anything!

Maple Leaf invested two more points into this skill, slightly reducing the cooldown time.

[Sticks and Stones Level: 3. The user cannot be interrupted or stopped while working. In this state, the user generates heat; if this state persists for an extended period, illness may result.]

[Cooling time: 6 hours]

This is much more practical!

“You’ve been smiling the whole time,” Chloe said. “Are you finished drawing?”

"Huh? Oh, it's finished," Maple Leaf said. She blinked, then started looking for the model she had just drawn. Where was it?

She groped around on the table with her hand until she found it. When she touched the model, it turned the same color as her hand.

"Here it is."

“Uh,” Chloe said as she took the model.

The model's color changed; part of it was beige, the same as her skin, but there were also some blue stripes, probably from her nail polish.

"Hmm, this is a bit unusual. Playing with this might cause some trouble."

"Is it not drawn well?" Maple Leaf asked.

“Oh no, this is amazing,” Chloe grinned. “Actually, it’s incredible.”

However, I can't pair it with my other units because it's too outstanding. Besides, it's easy to lose if I leave it on the table.

“If you want, I can turn it back to normal,” Maple Leaf said.

She felt a little guilty because she had unconsciously used more superpowers on Chloe's model.

"No way! This little guy is special now. And I can show it off a lot, you wouldn't believe it. Thanks, Maple."

Maple Leaf was happy because she received more head pats. Although it wasn't the kind of head pats her older sister gave her, it still felt pretty good.

The game on the other side of the table continued, and the henchmen were having a great time, but Maple Leaf was feeling a bit tired.

“I think I need to go home,” she said. Being with so many people who weren’t her sisters had really drained what her eldest sister called her “social energy.”

Is there anything she can do to replenish this power?

Perhaps we can save this idea for later.

“It’s okay,” Chloe said. “Here, do you want to take some snacks back with you? Liam always brings too much, I don’t know if I should take all of this back.”

“Okay,” Maple Leaf said.

Not long after, she came back carrying a large plastic shopping bag filled with opened bags of potato chips and several cans of soda.

She imagined how popular she would be when she got home. Sienna, the older sister, hadn't said they couldn't eat junk food, but she rarely bought it either.

Maple Leaf decided not to make a big fuss about saying goodbye; she simply picked up a flashlight by the door and headed home.

She felt much more relaxed than before. The next time they fought the rattlesnake, the sisters would be better equipped, and he would have absolutely no chance of winning.