The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Sienna didn't dislike the patrol.

Of course, this really tested her social skills. The process was tough, and it wasn't something she would often do, but it wasn't as bad as she had feared.

This is similar to going to the dentist; the anxiety beforehand is often more difficult than the actual experience itself.

But the situation after the war was a different story.

They handcuffed the "little guy" and waited for a Human Resources Federation (HRF) van to arrive and help transport him, leaving Sienna and the other heroes on a street full of police and ambulances.

Although no one was injured and there was no fire, paramedics and firefighters were still checking the area.

Police blocked the streets, and none of the heroes were allowed to leave until a bored detective bombarded them with dozens of questions.

Sienna was initially worried that the police would discover something, but the questions were all perfunctory and simple.

Clearly, the entire incident was recorded on video from more than a dozen different angles, and the detective inadvertently revealed that it was a case that was obvious at a glance.

The only one who was injured was the criminal, and even that injury seemed insignificant.

Thus, these young heroes faced a situation far more terrifying than talking to the police—the media.

For every ambulance and police car, there was a news van, and there seemed to be more reporters on the scene than government staff.

Sienna dragged Teddy along behind, trying to find a place away from the cameras. Finally, her savior came from the cell phone she managed to get her hands on.

Her phone buzzed and displayed a message saying that evacuation could be arranged if she needed it.

The so-called evacuation meant squeezing into the back seat of a small van with "The Killer" and "Cheetah Woman".

"Just the four of us, huh?" Sienna jumped into the car and helped Teddy get in as "The Killer" said.

Teddy's legs are too short; he can't climb onto the back seat unless he sits on the edge of the car first.

"Hmm, I think so."

The burly man in armor shrugged his broad shoulders. "No wonder. Isabella and 'Glamour Woman' seem a bit too eager for the limelight; I think it's gone a bit too far."

“They are the face of the business,” said the leopard.

Sienna sat down in the seat opposite "The Killer," three seats away from the cat-themed heroine.

"The face of the store?" she asked as she helped Teddy fasten his seatbelt.

“They’re the heroes who are always in the public eye. They’re dazzling and flamboyant. They can sell a lot of merchandise and spend a lot of time on image promotion,” said Qi Bao. “Other heroes, at least those who are actually in action, often shoulder most of the responsibilities.”

“Oh,” Sienna said.

“At least they don’t have to wear that outfit all the time,” Cheap Leopard continued, “and some heroes are already quite famous, like Melatonin.”

“Isn’t melatonin the face of the product?” Sienna asked.

"Have you ever seen her give an interview? She spends most of the time cursing and swearing, and it feels like she's just one nasty word away from punching the reporter."

That... sounds quite realistic.

The rest of the journey was relatively quiet. "The Killer" pulled a cell phone from somewhere in his armor, while "Cheetah" curled up in her seat and closed her eyes.

Even Teddy was quiet, leaning to one side with his head resting against Sienna's side, and pulling Sienna's arm over to his shoulder, like covering her with a blanket.

The van finally came to a stop, and the "killer" struggled to squeeze out from the back of the vehicle.

After getting out of the car, Sienna found herself in a familiar parking lot. Melatonin was nearby, leaning against her car with a cigarette between two fingers.

Sienna looked around but saw no one to tell her where to go or what to do, so she helped Teddy out of the car and walked towards "Melatonin". "Hmm, hi".

Melatonin exhaled a puff of smoke—not a cigarette, but a thin cigar. "You just can't stay still, can you?" she asked.

“It’s not our fault,” Sienna said.

The woman shook her head. "Want a ride back to the park?" she asked.

“That would be great,” Sienna admitted. She knew it was only early evening, but she felt like… well, like she had been socializing all day.

Melatonin put the cigar back in his mouth, pushed himself away from the back of the car, and casually stepped onto the trunk, then onto the driver's seat, before finally sitting down behind the steering wheel. "Get in."

Sienna quickly opened the car door and sat in the passenger seat, because she felt it was too rude of her to stand on the car like that.

Teddy obediently sat in the back seat, fastened her seatbelt, and remained silent. She looked quite tired, which was understandable, given how hard she had worked today.

"Back to the usual spot?" Melatonin asked.

"A park? Yes, that's troublesome."

"Hmph." "Melatonin" reversed out, then stepped on the gas, the tires screeching against the ground, and in the blink of an eye they were violating traffic rules and heading towards the park.

“We were broadcasting it live at the time,” she said.

“Oh?” Sienna asked.

“Following Isabella’s lousy plan is a point deduction, but otherwise, you’ve done a good job.”

Sienna shrank further into her seat. "Is this normal?"

"That's not normal. We usually only encounter two or three villain attacks a month at most. Of course, things get worse around this time of year."

"It'll calm down by mid-summer—" Melatonin said, changing lanes without even looking back. "By mid-summer, it'll be quite quiet for us. But the final showdown usually gets a bit tougher then."

"Oh, okay. And, um, do you know what the 'cause of war' is?"

"Melatonin's" head snapped around, nearly rear-ending a truck. "Where did you hear about this?"

"That villain, 'little guy'? He muttered something about that."

“Damn it,” Melatonin said, “pretend you never heard of this, that’s for the best. Also, get rid of those phones.”

"Okay." Sienna took out the phone she had been given, and since she had nowhere to put it, she placed it in the cup holder.

Looking back, she saw that Teddy was already snoring while "melatonin" was driving, so she would have to get Teddy's phone later.

They arrived at the park smoothly and quietly, though quite quickly.

There were few cars around, and "Melatonin" was too lazy to park properly. "You two be careful, you know?" "Melatonin" said, "You did a good job today."

They have great potential. If you want to develop in this area, um...yes, I can mentor you more."

Sienna felt her cheeks burning, so she quickly got out of the car, shook Teddy awake, took the girl's phone, and left it in the back seat.

"I...I'll think about it...Um, thank you for your help today."

"You're welcome. I'll definitely get you some money. Judging from how you're taking care of this child, I think you'll need some money."

"Thank you," Sienna said again. Talking about money, as always, made her uncomfortable. "Goodbye."

She watched Melatonin drive away, Teddy leaning against her side, and then they headed to the public restroom to change their clothes.

As they walked back, Sienna noticed that Teddy was listless, and she could no longer suppress her guilt.

"Teddy, do you want me to carry you?"

"What?"

Sienna knelt down, put the backpack on Teddy's back, and then let the girl jump onto her back.

At first, Teddy giggled and cheered Sienna on, but her excitement quickly wore off, and she nestled her head in the crook of Sienna's neck and fell asleep again.

Sienna enjoyed a rare moment of quiet, allowing her to reflect on the day's events. It felt... strange, but also quite fulfilling.

She can gradually get used to the fact that she is a person who can make a difference.

The journey back to the dorm went relatively smoothly, except that Sienna's back was a little strained by Teddy's weight. Teddy was indeed quite heavy.

It was a little difficult for her to take out her phone to open the door, but she managed to do it. Soon they took the elevator upstairs and headed towards their room.

Sienna put Teddy down, and the bear-woman stood next to Sienna, yawning widely.

Sienna opened the door, and as soon as she stepped inside, she froze.

Two things immediately caught her attention.

First of all, when and where did Athena get a leather motorcycle jacket?

Secondly, what's even more unsettling is why Aleya Iakta is curled up on the floor.

……