Squire returned to Blue Court wearing a pristine white Storm cap signed by the group.
As she stepped into the old apartment elevator, she declined her younger sister Lucia Rou’s eighth phone call and replied:
【I already told you not to call me. Can’t you just send a message?】
But the reply on the other end was still a voice message.
“The fan meet-up today apparently got attacked by members of the ‘Fourth Calamity’? Someone even got injured. Big brother, you weren’t caught up in it, right?”
“Brother, why aren’t you answering? Did something happen to you?”
【I’m fine. Don’t worry.】
Feeling her sister’s concern, Squire was in a fairly good mood, but how could she explain the situation?
She certainly couldn’t say she used that strange belt and turned into a little girl, could she?
No, on second thought, her job wasn’t lost, and she even had a long-awaited paid vacation. Although she had become a loli, her life wasn’t much affected, and there was still a chance to turn back. Maybe she could even tell Lucia—
“By the way! There was a little girl at the scene who even got filmed going to the bathroom!”
There was no way she could reveal her current state to Lucia!
She hadn’t expected Lucia to have already seen her in that form through that footage. No matter what, she couldn’t expose this identity, or else how could she maintain the reliable big brother image she had worked so hard to build?!
Squire pursed her lips, her expression complicated as she typed a question.
【Has that little girl become famous?】
“Brother, the screenshots and live clips have gone viral! Those despicable media outlets are even hunting down the girl’s whereabouts. It can’t be worse for her.”
Indeed, “she” felt utterly terrible about it.
Come to think of it, when buying shampoo at the supermarket near the subway station, the clerk and other customers all gave strange looks. Now she realized…
Maybe it was because of this incident?
The elevator going up arrived at Squire’s apartment floor. She clutched her phone but didn’t get out immediately. Instead, she opened a search engine and began a deep self-investigation…
She easily found the video her sister mentioned. Because it was filmed by a drone from above, it offered a bird’s-eye view that helped Squire clearly understand what had happened through a third-party perspective…
Indigo erasure lasers shot from Ps·ycho’s twin horns, sweeping in an arc over the public restroom. The entire small wooden building first turned into a gray and white checkerboard pattern, then gradually became transparent, as if vanishing into thin air.
Only a little black-haired loli in a wool coat remained, her panties sagging down to her ankles, sitting blankly on the air toilet.
The clipped live stream ended right there.
The top-down angle made her face unclear, but her clothes made her easy to recognize, explaining why passersby had stared and whispered…
“Waaaaahhh!!”
Squire let out a scream inside the elevator.
“Nyx, can you delete these videos?”
【Nyx can’t interfere with the entire network.】
“I see…”
No matter how powerful she was, some things were just impossible. Squire was just grasping at straws in desperation.
Was this the revenge Ps·ycho was exacting on her?
That crazy woman had truly launched a social obliteration campaign against her…
“Brother? Are you still there?”
Only after Lucia sent several more voice messages did Squire reply and finally step out of the elevator. But her mood had become quite heavy…
Who could bear such a thing happening to them?
【I’m fine. I’ll send you the signed hat tomorrow.】
“That’s not urgent. I’ll tell you when the market’s right. You can just ship it to the buyer then~”
【Alright, I’ll wait for your message later.】
Though Squire didn’t know the hat’s value, Pure White Storm’s popularity was still rising, so the market price hadn’t peaked yet. It wasn’t time to sell.
She finally stepped out of the elevator and headed toward her apartment door.
But soon she noticed a strange young woman standing in front of her door. The woman wore a red casual outfit and carried a single-shoulder bag.
She leaned against the dimly lit hallway, scrolling on her phone. The screen’s glow cast an eerie green light on her face.
Who was this?
Squire couldn’t place her. Who would be looking for her? A new tenant who forgot their keys? An insurance salesman? Hopefully, it wasn’t related to the afternoon’s incident.
Though puzzled, Squire hesitated briefly and then walked toward the apartment.
It was just a stranger after all—she couldn’t just not go home.
Just as she took out her keys to unlock the door, the woman looked up at her.
“Oh, Lu—cough, excuse me, are you Miss ‘True Blade Hero’?”
“Huh?!”
‘True Blade Hero’ was the pen name Squire used for her submissions. But she used a male persona back then. How did this person recognize her?
“…Who are you?”
“Oh, please allow me to introduce myself.”
The tall woman pulled out a business card case from her jacket pocket, took out a card, and bowed slightly, handing it to Squire.
“I’m Nangong Hope, an editor for Youth Creep.”
“You’re from Youth Creep?!”
That was the manga weekly magazine from the publisher she had submitted to before!
Speaking of Youth Creep, it was a rather famous ripoff of the well-known manga magazine Youth Jump. Although a bootleg, it had gained some notoriety, at least here in Central City.
For a manga magazine editor to come looking for her in person meant…
Squire couldn’t help but brighten, rubbing her cheek and putting on a serious expression. “Ms. Na-Nangong, may I ask if my manga got accepted?!”
She was so nervous she stammered.
Facing the hopeful look in the girl’s eyes, Nangong Hope shook her head.
“No, unfortunately, your submission was not accepted this time. The reasons were clearly stated in the email…”
But Nangong’s words were a crushing blow that sent Squire’s soaring spirits plummeting back to earth.
“Ugh, I knew it. Comics by someone like me just aren’t going to get accepted.”
Squire muttered as she tilted her head. Nangong Hope put both hands on her shoulders.
“However, I came today personally to give you some guidance.”
“Huh? Guidance in a personal capacity?”
“Yes! Honestly, I think your work is very interesting. Actually, the hero you draw… it feels like I’m looking in a mirror. It’s very immersive.”
Immersed in such a violent hero? Are you okay?!
Squire was well aware of how out of control her characters were, often gaining that awareness only after finishing the drawings.
Still, hearing such praise from an editor was quite pleasing.
She opened the door wider and invited,
“It’s cold standing out here in the hallway. Why don’t we go inside and talk?”
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