The socially awkward villain's furry superpower

Azip's pizza shop wasn't quite what Sienna had envisioned.

For some reason, she had originally imagined a pizza shop that was so dirty and slovenly that it would give health inspectors goosebumps both physically and mentally.

However, what we actually saw was a clean and tidy little shop, though it wasn't very big.

There is a small area outside the store with tables and chairs, a bench next to the entrance, and a parking space next to the store that can accommodate two and a half cars.

Sienna, Sam, and her sisters stood in the narrow alley, where they could see the pizzeria building across the street.

"So, you're planning to walk in through the front door dressed as a villain and then ask to talk to the boss?" Sam asked.

Sienna knew in her heart that her plan was really not very good, but being told to her face that her plan was bad still made her feel uncomfortable. "Yes."

"And all these little ones with you?" Sam asked, glancing back at his sisters.

Sienna shook her head. "No, that would be... to be honest, pretty bad. I don't even know if we could all squeeze in. How about I bring... Athena? She's the most, well, mature, when it comes to social situations."

“Hey, what does that mean?” Teddy asked, while Athena stood beside her, beaming with pride.

“What I mean is that I hope you’ll stay and look after Trinity and Sam while I’m gone,” Sienna said.

Teddy crossed his arms over his chest, but didn't protest anymore.

"Are you sure you can do it, boss?" Sam asked.

Sienna stared at the young woman. "What do you mean by that?"

Sam's smile didn't fade at all. "Sienna, you're a bit... the most socially awkward girl I've ever met."

I think you're quite kind, and probably meant well, but I feel that socializing isn't your strong suit.

Meeting a stranger and telling them you're there to help them, but actually sounding like you're trying to extort money from them, is far more difficult than you think.

“I’m not going to do that,” Sienna said.

"Of course not." Sam's tone was as if he were just giving a perfunctory answer.

“Alright then.” Sienna said, gesturing to Sam, “Then you’ll be in charge of speaking.”

“Me?” Sam asked.

"You're my subordinate, aren't you?"

Sam shrugged. "Fine." She calmly reached into her bag and pulled out a domino mask.

She brushed her curly hair back, put the mask over her ears, and grinned at Sienna. "How do I look?"

"Do you always carry that mask with you?" Sienna asked.

“I don’t usually wear a mask around,” Sam said, “but I thought it might come in handy.”

"And you just casually put it in your bag?" Sienna asked.

Sam shook her head. "It was originally an eye mask for sleeping. I just cut a few holes in it." She pulled on the edge of the eye mask to demonstrate.

Sienna didn't know whether to feel admiration or unease, so she decided to suppress both feelings and simply made a gesture towards the other side of the street.

“We don’t want to stay outside in these outfits for too long. If someone sees us and posts the photos online, we could be followed wherever we go.”

The thought of someone asking her for an autograph, or worse, asking her sisters probing questions, sent a chill down her spine.

Fortunately, finding a place to change clothes wasn't as difficult as convincing the younger girls to look around more before crossing the street.

They took turns changing clothes behind a trash can in a dead-end alley.

It took Sienna a little longer than she had expected, but she got dressed quickly and looked at her five sisters in their new clothes with great pride.

After all, they changed their clothes successfully without me noticing, without setting any buildings on fire or robbing anyone.

Trinity was dressed like a little bandit, wearing a black and white striped shirt and carrying a bag with a large dollar sign on it.

This was the most villainous outfit among them, but judging from Sam's quiet admiration, the costumes were less frightening and more like innocent and playful rascals.

This is quite important if Sienna intends to portray herself as a hero.

Athena's outfit was less thematic. She wore a leather jacket and an owl-shaped mask.

Otherwise, she could blend into the crowd and be indistinguishable from ordinary children or short teenagers, which might come in handy.

Teddy's outfit is also not complicated.

A pale yellow sundress, a pair of slightly oversized boots, and a plastic bear mask.

It's simple, but Sienna thinks it's quite cute. And Teddy's ability allows her to turn into a bear.

“Oh, you three are so cute!” Sam said. “Can I take a picture?”

“Uh,” Sienna said.

“I swear I won’t post the photos anywhere,” Sam said.

“Okay, I think that’s fine?” Sienna said. “Keep an eye on them while I go change.”

Her own clothes... were a bit odd.

A pinstripe suit, a clean button-down shirt, and a small tie.

Add to that a domino mask and a black fedora, and she looks like a gangster from the late 1950s.

Perhaps this highlights the villainous side of her abilities, but it looks alright, and it's the only outfit she owns.

If she ever starts earning money properly, she'll have to find a way to get some better clothes, but definitely not something like a bodysuit.

She couldn't stand it if people saw her wearing tight clothes.

Maybe get a suit of armor or something?

That thick, imposing armor would protect her well, so she wouldn't have to deal with others face-to-face when she was doing heroic deeds.

Sienna adjusted her hat as she returned to her sisters and subordinates.

Sam looked her up and down, then gave her a thumbs up.

"Not bad. I have to say, you guys have really nailed the feel of this affordable hero."

“Is this a good thing?” Sienna asked.

“Well, considering I guess you guys are on a tight budget, this is pretty good, that’s right,” Sam said. “It sends a message, you know? We’re a group of masked people who have put some time and effort into our equipment, but we’re still small and probably not that scary yet.”

“I don’t think leaving this impression on others is the worst thing,” Sienna said.

Sam shrugged. "A lot of masked men go out wearing ordinary clothes, plus a balaclava and swimming goggles. That doesn't look very good. Also, if I wanted a set of uniforms for my men..."

Should I go for a 50s gangster look too? But not like you, something a couple notches below, like wearing loose trousers with overalls or something?

"Uh, let's go to the pizza place first, please."

“Okay, I want pizza,” Teddy said. “You guys haven’t tried it yet, it’s the third best thing.”

"So what's the first one?" Trinity asked.

"The first one, of course, is the leader," Teddy said with absolute certainty. "The second one is the warmth you feel when you're with your friends—"

Sienna was touched for a moment, "—and there's also the beating up of capitalists." Just a fleeting moment of emotion.

They arrived at Azip's Pizza. Sienna looked at her sisters. "Athena, you come with me. Teddy, you stay in that alley."

Trinity, watch over us near the entrance, and also have someone keep watch behind the shop.

The sisters quickly did as instructed, and Sienna turned back to face the shop. She stared at the shop door for a while.

"So... are you planning to go in, or are we just going to stand here all day?" Sam asked. "I didn't tell you before, but I have class tonight."

Sienna shook her head. "Let's go in. I'm just, um, seeing if there's anything I need to watch out for."

“Okay,” Sam said.

Sienna felt a hand grab hers. She looked down and met Athena's smile. "It'll be alright, big sister."

Sienna nodded. It was one thing to have messed up, but it would be quite another to disappoint her sister's expectant eyes. Sienna headed towards the pizzeria, the others following behind.

As the doorbell above the door rang, they entered the store. Apart from a girl behind the counter who was about a year or two older than Sienna, there was no one else inside.

The girl looked up, saw the three of them wearing masks, and couldn't help but curse, "Uh, are you here to rob us?"

“No,” Sienna said, “we are, well, heroes?”

“Oh,” the woman said, her shoulders relaxing and her tension easing considerably. “Well…would you like to try our today’s special? Buy one get one free submarine sandwiches!”

“It’s not this one either,” Sienna said. She was glad she’d left Teddy outside. “We’d like to speak with your boss or the shop owner, is that alright?”

"Oh, okay, I can go call them." The cashier turned halfway around and called out, "Rose! Someone's looking for you! It's the heroes!"

Sienna frowned at the loud voice, but said nothing. Soon, an older woman appeared.

This woman reminded Sienna of her mother; if her mother wore a hairnet and spent a lot of time surrounded by greasy food, she would be quite similar to her.

She glanced around the room. "Hey, wouldn't it be better if we found a private place to talk?"

Sienna nodded, and the woman gave a thumbs-up to the area behind her, past the deep fryer and other cooking equipment. "Then come with me."

“With pleasure,” Sienna said.

Perhaps things will ultimately turn out in her favor.