The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna was naturally worried about what her sisters were up to. She began to doubt whether she had made the right decision by having Trinity separate the sisters. This meant she couldn't easily communicate with all of them at the same time. But at the same time, not doing so might lead to unequal distribution, and perhaps a lot of trouble would be concentrated in one place.

Her sisters are all capable of causing a lot of trouble. And if they all get together, the trouble multiplies with each additional sister. They are very good at encouraging each other's bad habits.

She had to believe that even if she wasn't watching them all the time, they wouldn't burn the hospital down; otherwise, Sienna would never be able to live even a slightly normal life.

“Miss Boss?” an HRF agent asked. She stood awkwardly to one side at the hospital entrance, in the same room as the HRF service desk, but far enough away that she could find a plausible excuse even if she didn’t go over to greet “Amazon Warrior” (possibly someone’s nickname).

Meanwhile, Athena and Trinity were already busy at the service desk, attracting everyone's attention. The service desk was hosting some kind of autograph event, selling overpriced ordinary merchandise, with a sign above claiming all proceeds would be donated directly to the hospital. Sienna felt this was the only explanation for the prices.

“I’m sorry,” Sienna said, shaking her head, “what did you just say?”

“The comforter has arrived,” the agent said. “He’s waiting outside, getting ready. Do you want to see him?”

“Of course,” Sienna said, following the agent. “Um… who is the comforter? Is he… a hero?”

The agent nodded. "It's not surprising you haven't heard of him. The Comforter has been with the HRF for three years. He's one of our most outstanding heroes, but he never accepts any combat-related missions."

“Oh?” Sienna asked.

The agent nodded again. "He has a superpower that allows him to help people in hospitals. So he frequently travels between different cities and hospitals. He is a model of selfless heroism."

“Oh. Are you a healer?” she asked.

“No, not entirely,” the agent said, but did not elaborate further.

They went outside, where the sunlight was dazzling, and Sienna squinted. A recreational vehicle, one of those campervans, was parked in front of the hospital. It was all black, with a barely noticeable HRF logo painted on the side.

The agent led her to the RV and then left, leaving her alone to greet the people who came out of the vehicle.

Sienna looked up, then looked a little higher. "Uh, hello," she said softly.

Her father was tall, a little over six feet, and had a robust build. Despite having a beer belly, his work kept him physically fit.

The comforter was a few inches taller than her father and much more muscular. He wore a light-colored sweater with clean trousers, but the sweater looked like it was about to burst from his muscular frame.

He looked down at Sienna, smiling. The comforter wore only a domino mask that partially covered his face, and Sienna felt his identity wasn't well concealed. She thought there weren't many tall, dark-skinned men with goatees wandering around. However, he was dressed like a children's television presenter, and almost immediately hunched his shoulders slightly. "Sorry, I didn't see you earlier," he said.

“It’s alright,” Sienna quickly replied.

The soothsayer's voice was deep and mellow, gentle yet with a slight rumble. Sienna felt that if he wanted to, he could easily launch a singing career. His voice had a magical quality that drew people in irresistibly.

“You must be the boss, right? Yes, yes. Wait a moment, I need to grab my coat and stuffed animals!” The comforter reached back into the RV and pulled out a long patchwork coat. It looked like a blanket from Sienna’s house, the kind her grandmother had sewn a long time ago, but made into a coat with dozens of pockets.

As far as the hero's attire is concerned, this doesn't look very heroic at all.

He walked to the side of the RV and opened a storage box. "I always bring some of these with me when I go to the children's ward," he said, as if admitting a secret. "They get really angry with me when I give out too many of these things." He took out a small Quantum Mothman plush toy and shook it.

“Them? You mean HRF?” Sienna asked. He handed her the plush toy, which she took.

“Yes. This is official merchandise, you know?” The comforter grinned as he stuffed things into his pocket. “But I don’t care. Kids will remember their favorite heroes. It gives them hope, you know? I think that’s the most important thing we’re doing here.”

“Yes,” Sienna agreed. Then, the comforter stood up, hoisted a large bag onto her shoulder, and she quickly took a step back. The bag was bulging and oddly shaped, clearly filled with more plush toys and dolls.

"I heard this is your first time here?" the comforter said, starting to walk towards the hospital.

“Yes?” Sienna answered tentatively. She had to walk quickly to keep up; his stride was much longer than hers.

The comforter glanced back and grinned, "That's a good thing. So, just in case no one tells you, thank you."

“Oh, uh, thank you,” Sienna said. She felt her cheeks burning and quickly looked away, hoping no one would notice. “Um, the agent said you’re not a healer?” she tried to start a conversation. It wasn’t her best conversationalist, but it certainly wasn’t her worst.

The comforter sighed, a sound that made Sienna instantly feel utterly defeated. Then he glanced at her and laughed. "No, no, I'm not a healer," he said. "But my abilities are a gift. At least, I like to see it that way."

“Oh, that’s good,” Sienna said. She frowned. Was his ability influencing her emotions?

“I can evoke certain feelings in people through conversation.” Before she could ask, he immediately confirmed, “It’s more like amplifying emotions, and the effect doesn’t last more than a second or two. But! But there’s one big use. I can help people get rid of their pain through conversation.”

“I… don’t quite understand,” Sienna said.

“People suffer, they get hurt. Especially in a place like this. I can’t heal them, but I can give them a comforting word, and maybe in a day or two, the pain will disappear, and even if it comes back, sometimes it won’t be so unbearable.” He glanced at her and grinned. “So that’s what I do. I go around, chat, listen and help as much as I can, and maybe at the end of the day, more people will be happier than before.”

Sienna swallowed hard. To her, this ability seemed more like a curse than a blessing. Having to talk to people? That was asking too much. But… what he was saying sounded very… unlike an act of heroism. She wasn't sure what word to use. Kindness?

“If possible, let’s start with the children’s ward,” the comforter said. “I like to go there first and last. Some of the children are a little shy, and it takes them a while to muster the courage to talk to them.”

“Okay…” Sienna said.

"awesome!"

She had assumed she could walk directly to the other end of the hospital, but to her horror, things weren't so easy. The comforter was immediately drawn to an elderly woman with a walker who needed some assistance. He then went to the nurses' station and spent a long time complaining to the nurses about the quality of the hospital coffee. Next, he encountered an elderly gentleman in a wheelchair, and the two chatted about the weather for a full two minutes.

Sienna felt as if she were ten years old again, following behind her father and watching him meet with his old friends, telling the same joke over and over again.

Finally, they arrived at the children's ward. The comforter took a deep breath, as if to bolster his courage, then flung the door open. "Meradun! You old fox, what kind of boring story are you reading to these little heroes today?" His voice echoed through the room.

The children were startled and momentarily frightened by the big guy, but then his tone softened.

“I know Mrs. Meraton is a wonderful storyteller,” he said, his gaze sweeping over all the children, his voice soft and reassuring, “but I have something even more amazing.”

With a wide, goofy grin on his face, he reached into his coat sleeve, rummaged around inside for a while, and even bit his tongue. Then, he proudly pulled out an upside-down Meraton plush toy. "Tap—tap!"

Sienna wasn't sure how to view this man, but she felt she was seeing a true hero for the first time. Not the kind who fights crime, nor the kind who chases glory, but someone who does everything in his power to make other people's lives a little better.