The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Teddy abruptly threw a curtain aside and walked backstage.

The backstage area looked quite different from what she had imagined a theater backstage to be like.

There were large wardrobes with wheels, and dozens of thick ropes were coiled on the floor, extending upwards to a pile of pulleys installed on the ceiling.

The flooring changed from glossy hardwood on one side of the curtain to rough plywood on the other side, covered with colorful tape.

Even the air smelled different, changing from fresh and odorless to a mixture of smells emanating from overflowing trash cans and the lingering smell of popcorn.

Standing in the middle of all this were two people: one was a tall, muscular Black man, and the other was a tall, thin, pale guy.

Teddy immediately recognized him as Alejandro Iqta without his costume. They both stopped and stared at Teddy.

"You don't have to stop arguing because of me, I can wait."

“Who are you?” asked the person who was not Aleya Iqta.

“I am…” She stopped herself before she could say more, as the boss had been emphasizing the importance of keeping her identity a secret all this time. “I’m not Little Bear Girl.”

“Oh, damn it,” Aleya Ikta said, taking a big step back to get away from Teddy, but she froze him in place with a glare.

"Do you know this child?" the man asked.

“Well,” Aleya Iqta said, “I mean… I don’t know him.”

Aleya's friend shook his head. "Child, how did you get in here?"

“They came in through the curtain,” Teddy replied.

"No, I mean, get inside this building."

“Oh,” Teddy paused, “well, I asked some communist comrades for directions.”

Alaya stepped forward, forcing a smile.

However, that smile looked strange, both nervous and uncertain; the boss sometimes showed that kind of smile too.

"You, uh, are you here to see me?" he asked.

“Yes. The old man—the one we work for—needs help,” Teddy thought he was being subtle.

Alaya's friend glanced at the two of them, then snorted and poked Alaya's shoulder with his finger. "Jacob, take care of your own business and take this outside to resolve... or you might as well just stay outside."

“Okay, okay, don’t worry,” Aleya Iqta said. “I’ll do well, you just wait and see.”

"Hmm," the big guy said, turning to look at Teddy and sizing her up. "Do you believe this idiot?"

"I don't really believe it, but if he dares to do anything reckless, I can beat him to a pulp."

The big guy nodded. "Very good. If he dares to do anything, just tell me, and I'll twist his stupid head off his shoulder, understand?"

"Okay, no problem, but I can do it myself."

He snorted and walked toward the back of the room. "I'm keeping an eye on you, Jacob."

Aleya Iqta, Teddy guessed his real name was Jacob, swallowed, looked at her, and then swallowed even harder.

“We need to talk,” she said. “The boss needs your help.”

"Oh, what kind of thing? You know I have my own life too. I have things to do, people to see, and things like that."

"None of your things matter. What matters is that the boss needs to teach a lousy drug dealer a lesson because he stole something from the boss. Now the boss needs a set of clothes to beat him up, and he also needs cannon fodder."

"Perhaps I can help with the clothing?"

“You can help with both things,” Teddy could assure him, “but I think the clothes are more important right now. The boss needs to get moving soon.”

Aleya licked her lips and looked around the room. "Listen, I don't understand why you think I can be of such great help."

I've already repaid the favor to you guys... the boss, for what I did before. That's all.

Teddy doesn't like conversations going in that direction.

Aleja Iqta seems to be going back on his deal with the boss, which is really underhanded.

However, Teddy is a smart girl; she knows the carrot and stick strategy.

If someone hits you with a stick, eat them; if they hit you with a carrot, eat them, and then eat the carrot.

"You can't just sit here and not help the boss,"

Alejandro Iqta straightened his chest, trying to look more robust. He seemed to be summoning all his courage.

“If you don’t help the boss,” Teddy continued, “I’ll eat you up.”

So Aleia's courage deflated like a particularly loud fart, "I...I'll take you to the dressing room,"

Teddy grinned and followed him hurriedly away from the side of the stage, heading towards a corridor extending from backstage.

There were several rooms there, each with a sign on the door indicating what was inside.

This corridor isn't very pretty; there are pipes in the ceiling, and the lights come from fluorescent tubes that flicker so badly they could hurt Teddy's eyes.

“We’re here,” Aleya Iqta said, pointing to a door marked “Clothing.”

It is located in the corridor between the "makeup room" and the "men's changing room".

"Is this where they put all those cool clothes?" Teddy asked.

Aleja Iqta nodded. "Yeah. I borrowed my clothes right here. I thought, if I'm going to try my luck, I might as well dress up a bit, you know?"

“Hmm, that makes sense,” Teddy agreed.

Aleya fiddled with the doorknob, and the door slammed open. Then he groped around on the wall inside, searching for the light switch, and struggled for quite a while.

When the lights came on, they illuminated a full room, with various clothes hanging or displayed on the walls.

There were several small cubicles on the wall in the distance, which Teddy guessed were for changing clothes, like the kind in thrift stores.

Do you know how much trouble we'll be in if we get caught?

"I don't know, but the boss needs a new outfit, so it's fine."

"It might not matter to you, but if someone finds out, I'll be in big trouble. Remember... don't pick anything too flashy, okay? If we're missing something like that, someone might notice."

Teddy didn't know what the word "flashy" meant, so she nodded and began to examine the clothes.

Most of these outfits can be ruled out at a glance.

They all look old, and while it doesn't matter if Aleja Ikta's own clothes are a bit worn, it might make the boss look a little silly.

Do you know what kind of person you're looking for?

Aleja Ikta stood in the middle of the room, arms crossed, and asked, "Because I do have things to do today."

"Important?" Teddy asked.

"I have a job, you know that."

Teddy glanced at him and saw his hand stroking the soft velvet fabric of a grand ball gown. "Someone hired you?"

He snorted and looked away from her. "I can be hired too."

Did you find your job through sheer luck?

"You little brat, you're such a busybody! What kind of person are you looking for?"

"I'm not sure, it just needs to make the boss look cool, intimidating, and scary. Do you guys have bear costumes?"

“Listen, I’m not going to pretend I know your boss well, but the only bear costume we have here looks like something out of a mascot, and… well, no, I can’t imagine any girl wanting to wear that.”

Aleya walked over, passed by her, and then kicked a box away.

“Last year we staged The Great Gatsby. It’s like The Great Gatsby, but with superpowers and… well, never mind, it was pretty bad.”

Teddy walked over and looked into a box full of folded fabric. Most of the clothes were simple and black, but some of the fabric was very shiny.

Aleya took out a very small dress, which Teddy thought would probably only reach mid-thigh on the boss.

"Like this, perhaps?"

Teddy imagined what his boss would look like in that dress, and then dismissed the idea.

According to her observation, the eldest son likes to wear clothes that cover him up quite well.

She looked down and saw a mask next to a fedora, the material of which matched the loose-fitting suit below.

"What are these?" she asked, picking up the two items.

“Uh,” he said, “that’s Baker’s hero costume. The writers crammed this side story into her, and… well, never mind, it was pretty bad.”

Teddy picked up the outfit. It had straight-leg pants and a black vest. The boss should have a shirt to wear underneath, and it wouldn't matter if it was a little loose on her.

“Hmm, that works,” Teddy said.

“Really?” Aleya Ikta asked. “I mean… well, that’s great. Here, put it in here.”

He reached for a bag from a clothes hanger, dumped its contents onto the floor, and pushed it aside.

A pile of folded rain boots fell to the ground with a clatter.

Teddy stuffed everything into the bag, then turned and pointed to a large jacket behind him, saying, "And that one too."

Aleya looked up, then his expression turned strange. "That's a pimp's jacket," he said.

"Are pimps a kind of large predator?" Teddy asked.

After all, the jacket was fluffy. But she didn't think there were many purple animals.

"Uh... well, I guess so."

"Cool, then I can use it to make my clothes."

Aleya Ikta opened her mouth and then closed it again, repeating this several times. "You know what... fine, you should talk to your boss about this first."

He took the jacket off the hanger, then took a matching large hat from it, and stuffed them into her bag.

Finally, the bag was stuffed full, with one sleeve sticking out, but at least it all fit.

"Okay. You're ready. Now leave and never come back."