The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna's gaze drifted somewhat across the menu; in reality, she wasn't looking at anything. To be precise, she was thinking about something else.

The most noteworthy proposal was that put forward by Meraton.

Sienna needs to think carefully about which potential path would make her and her summoned sisters appear the least suspicious.

Also, which route takes the least amount of time?

She has far more to worry about than she expected.

Sienna's original plan was to have a peaceful college life, get her degree, find a stable and easy job, and then live as a single woman with about eight adorable cats.

Those dreams have long been shattered.

Her once peaceful college life has become a complete mess. She hasn't even finished the assignments due in a few days!

Sienna shifted the way she held the menu, then carefully turned a page.

She really wished she was looking at pictures of kittens instead of pasta and steak.

Those pictures of kittens at least calmed her wildly beating heart.

She needs to refocus.

Meraton's proposal could put them in the spotlight.

This... may not be a good thing, but it also presents opportunities.

They can appear as heroes and then quietly fade from public view. People might think it's because of too much pressure or something similar.

Perhaps they could do a few good deeds and establish themselves as good people in the community?

Sienna nodded, agreeing that this made sense.

The problem is that joining a company team or similar organization means they will be in a situation where they will be asked a lot of questions, some of which can make them very uncomfortable.

Does she have any other concerns?

That guy who "handshakes"... that matter.

What was his purpose in seeking her out? To be an accomplice, perhaps? To act as some kind of deterrent when he met with Sement?

That makes some sense.

She herself isn't very intimidating, but Teddy can, especially when she transforms into her bear form.

Does she have the ability to deal with someone who can manipulate cement with their mind?

Sienna had no desire to figure it out. Even in the best-case scenario, she would complain incessantly if Teddy's fur got wet cement on it.

“Madam?” Sienna snapped back to reality, realizing everyone was staring at her. A young waitress was watching her, a notebook in her hand, a patient smile on her face. “Would you like to order?”

“Oh, oh, uh, sorry, I want… the one she ordered,” Sienna said, pointing to Meraton.

"Then let's have another lobster and filet mignon set meal," the waitress said.

Sienna's face turned ashen; this sounded far too expensive.

However, Meraton ended up paying the bill anyway.

"And you, miss?" the waitress asked Teddy.

"Hmm, I want fish sticks, but I don't want the kind that look like little bears."

"Okay, I understand," the waitress said, smiling slightly and using her notebook to shield Teddy's view. "Anything else?"

“Hmm, I want that train meal too.” Teddy pointed to a picture of a cardboard train filled with chicken breast, fries, and cheese.

“That’s a whole set meal,” the waitress said.

Sienna quickly waved her hand, trying to allay the waiter's concerns. "It's alright. She, uh, has a big appetite. Her metabolism is a bit... unusual."

"Yes, my metabolism is amazing."

The waiter nodded. "Of course, what would you like to drink?"

"I want a pint of vodka."

Sienna really wanted to cover her face.

“Hmm,” the waitress said, glancing at Sienna and Meraton.

“It’s best when it’s ice cold,” Teddy explained. “Maybe with some ice?”

“She wants juice. Any kind of juice will do,” Sienna said.

The waiter quickly nodded and then turned to Athena. Thankfully, the owl girl had only ordered a chicken risotto and a glass of grape juice.

“Well,” Meraton asked after the waiter left, “actually, wait, you haven’t told me about this new girl yet.”

Athena leaned forward to make better eye contact with Meraton. "I am Sienna's sister."

"Oh, so she knows everything, right? That's what I was just guessing."

Sienna nodded. "She knows, yes." She didn't want to admit that Athena had her own superpowers, after all, she herself hadn't figured out how those powers worked. In fact, she needed to remember to test them out.

Carrying a notebook with her has become increasingly important; she always has so many trivial things to write down that she can hardly keep track of them all.

“That’s good,” Meraton said. “Here’s the thing, there’s an event where companies and governments will bring all the newcomers together and mix them up.”

This could be considered a semi-public event. That is to say, no media were present, but it felt like there were media everywhere.

“That doesn’t make sense,” Teddy said.

“That makes sense,” Meraton responded. “When we say there’s media in a place, it usually means they’ll show up in large numbers, with cameras, reporters and all that.”

Now, they know about the event, if you'd like to call it an event, but someone has politely told them not to show up.

So a lot of paparazzi would hide around the planned routes, snapping photos of the 'operations'. These photos sold really well. It made the new heroes look especially active, etc.

“Can we go beat up the other villains?” Teddy asked.

Sienna's heart skipped a beat when she heard the word "others," but she realized that Meraton might think Teddy was referring to "other villains besides Homi."

“It’s probably not going to work,” Meraton said. “Heroes aren’t exactly good at law enforcement.”

“Really?” Sienna asked.

"Oh, don't get me wrong, they can indeed serve as a good check on the police, but most heroes are untrained, and many of their superpowers are a bit too deadly for normal law enforcement."

Even so, most of the calls police receive are for simple matters: speeding tickets, occasional traffic accidents, domestic disputes, and the like.

It's not like every minor scratch requires someone in a cape to step in and fix it.

"If the heroes don't help the proletariat, why keep them around?" Teddy asked, narrowing her eyes. "It's a capitalist conspiracy, isn't it?"

Meraton snorted. "Pretty much. You can make a lot of money in things like marketing."

There are plenty of donations, and heroes can make the politicians standing next to them look great. And heroes are indeed needed.

Those major crises are beyond the capabilities of ordinary people. If you were an ordinary person, encountering a villain with truly powerful superpowers would be terrifying. Moreover, some heroes can handle various situations with remarkable agility, even when the police can't cope.

“It sounds like the world isn’t quite used to the fact that some people are just better at certain things,” Athena said.

Sienna looked at her little sister. This felt strange, and completely inconsistent with her previous upbringing.

“That’s pretty much it,” Meraton said. “It’s a strange situation, but you can’t hide everyone with superpowers. Some places have tried doing that, and it didn’t go very well.”

Sienna nodded.

She had a few more questions she wanted to ask, but then the waiter returned with the drinks, so she didn't ask any more. Each girl received a glass of juice.

Then the waiter placed a very elegant glass in front of both her and Meraton, left without saying a word, leaving Sienna staring at her drink.

A small umbrella was stuck in the cup, there were some crumbs on the rim, and the drink contained several colors that were still mixed together.

“That’s so cool,” Teddy said.

"Hmm, what is this?" Sienna asked.

“You’re eighteen years old now, aren’t you?” Meraton asked.

“I…yes,” Sienna said.

Meraton shrugged, took the little umbrella out of the cup, and took a sip. "Then enjoy it."

Sienna had never actually drunk anything alcoholic before. Oh, maybe she'd tasted a tiny sip of her father's beer when she was little, but that was a long, long time ago.

However, on the other hand, she has long since exceeded her comfort zone, engaging in chivalrous acts and battles, and is surrounded by people she never thought she would befriend.

Maybe it's not so bad to keep trying new things? She did dream of being much, much braver than she is now.

She carefully picked up the glass and brought it close to her nose to smell it. The drink smelled sweet, with a hint of alcohol.

Sienna made up her mind.

She took a small sip.

Then the taste almost made her vomit, while Meraton burst out laughing.

Perhaps new things are ultimately not suitable for her.