[ Sis, I’m at work right now, I can’t take calls. ]
As soon as Squire saw the caller ID, she hurriedly swiped to reject and replied with a message.
[ What’s up? ]
But the reply she received was a voice message, sounding rather disgruntled.
“Bro! You know I’m slow at typing and it’s exhausting!”
Squire’s little sister had grown up with their parents in a remote, underdeveloped countryside. Maybe it was due to her environment, but she was never good at typing or using text input.
Although Squire wasn’t doing particularly well in life, to Lucia Rou, he was still a big brother worth admiring and looking up to.
Not only could he support himself and survive in the bustling yet dangerous Central City, but he could also pay for Lucia’s college tuition and living expenses.
Because of this, Squire often heard Lucia say things like, “I’ll become a little sister worthy of you, big bro!”, “Once I graduate, I’m coming to Central City to find you!”, and “Big bro, you’re my Hero!”
However, Squire’s job was to be a Monster.
[ Bro, are you free after work today? ]
After a while, Lucia sent another message.
[ If something’s up, just say it. ] Squire replied.
She knew her little sister’s personality well—if she was being vague and not saying it directly, there was definitely some kind of trouble she needed help with.
[ The Sigma Series Heroes seem to be holding a Fan Meeting on the streets downtown today. There’ll be a chance for autographs and handshakes too! ]
Lucia replied with this, along with a related news link.
From the link, the Fan Meeting was being held in Memorial Park, and it seemed there would even be photo ops with the Heroes. Was she planning to ask for autographs then?
Wait a minute, since when did this girl become a Hero-chaser too?
And it just had to be those guys from the Sigma Hero Company.
That company aimed to produce high-appearance, high-popularity, high-firepower Heroes. In Squire’s eyes, they were nothing but over-packaged products, only caring about building personas that appealed to women to grab attention, and then using various methods to profit off their popularity…
Sure, they did do the work that Heroes were supposed to do, but Squire still disliked this kind of group—too commercial, too utilitarian, lacking true Heroic spirit and a sense of responsibility.
She was also worried her little sister would become a troublesome fangirl.
[ Sis, just a heads-up… ]
[ Your big brother is a Monster! Having a Monster attend a Hero Fan Meeting? ]
[ Does that sound appropriate to you? ]
Although her current form was fine, if she was in her original form, a hoodie wouldn’t be nearly enough to hide it—after all, Squidman’s pointy head was pretty conspicuous.
[ You’re not at work, so they can’t do anything to you~ ]
Lucia’s reply was unconcerned.
A Monster’s off-hours life wouldn’t be affected. After all, Modification wasn’t exclusive to evil organizations—not only were there Modified Heroes, but even ordinary people would get Modifications to adapt to work or meet special needs…
Besides, in this Modification-crazy era, the streets were filled with all sorts of Modified people in various shapes and functions. Even if Squire walked around in her original form, she wouldn’t be that out of place—at most, she’d just get a few extra glances.
Still, even with all that, Heroes and Monsters tended to keep their distance in their private time. Having Squire attend a Hero group’s Fan Meeting would easily be seen as looking for trouble…
Maybe Lucia thought typing was too much hassle, so she sent another voice message.
“Bro, can’t you think of something? That new member will be making an appearance too! If you can get their autograph, it could sell for a really high price.”
So, it was all about the money, huh?
That actually made Squire let out a sigh of relief. While being too money-minded wasn’t great, it was still better than becoming a crazy fangirl.
But, the new Hero from the Sigma Series…
Wasn’t that the flying Hero she saw last night?
[ Are Hero autographs really worth that much? ] Squire asked.
“Of course! Do you know how popular Heroes are? Tons of fans are willing to pay big money! And ‘Pure White Storm’ is a rising new Hero with endless potential. I bet you could sell it for at least tens of thousands… maybe even over a hundred thousand!”
Just for a signature, you could get that much money?!
Squire hesitated for a moment.
[ Alright, I’ll give it a try for you. ]
Right now, Squire was confident she could get close to the Heroes without raising suspicion.
It wasn’t about the money—she just wanted to make her little sister happy.
Central City’s downtown was bustling and crowded. In a place where every inch of land was worth its weight in gold, a park couldn’t just be a park—it was a multi-purpose complex combining leisure, transportation, and commerce.
The subway, shopping areas, and even office buildings were all hidden beneath the park. Natural light poured down through open skylights and artfully designed refractions, illuminating the underground spaces…
The most sacred of all was the massive Nameless Monument at the center of the park.
This thing was practically an artifact.
It was said to have been built over a hundred years ago to commemorate the Heroes who died in the war. Originally, many names were carved onto it, but one day they were all erased, leaving only a smooth, mirror-like surface.
No one knew why, or what the purpose was. Neither Heroes nor Monsters took responsibility, and the investigation went nowhere. In the end, the matter was simply dropped.
Originally, Squire just wanted to buy a few women’s outfits from a small shop by the subway, but thanks to her sister’s request, she ended up in the city center. The prices there nearly gave her a heart attack—even the drinks were outrageously expensive, so she only bought a bottle of mineral water.
“Hope Lord Maya’s promised bonus is a bit higher…”
[ Nyx can search for well-reviewed shops and cost-effective discount items. ]
Suddenly, the system AI’s voice sounded in Squire’s head, making her frown.
“No, that’s okay,” she refused. “Your recommendations are probably just more dresses or something…”
[ Nyx can also recommend pants and unisex clothing styles. ]
“…Then just give me an address?”
[ Please follow the navigation… ]
Squire only wanted an address, but an arrow appeared in her field of vision.
“Nyx, don’t do that…”
She really didn’t like Nyx messing with her mind and vision like this—it was creepy.
[ Sorry, Nyx only wanted to provide convenience. ] Nyx withdrew the navigation.
“You, as an AI, have higher authority than me as the user. Even knowing you’re helping, it’s still scary for me.”
[ From now on, Nyx will seek your approval for any actions. ]
“That’s just you restraining yourself…”
Squire still knew too little about this mysterious driver.
If only she hadn’t put it on her waist back then.
“Sigh, just give me verbal directions.”
Although she wasn’t in Monster form right now, Squire was wearing an out-of-season squid-themed outfit. Combined with her cute, pinch-worthy face, she was attracting quite a few curious glances as she walked.
“So many stares—it’s prickling…”
It was even more attention than when she copied the Data of Divine Might…
[ After seeing you, people’s mental wavelengths become calmer and more relaxed, indicating everyone finds you cute. ]
“Don’t tell me things like that. It’s not like it makes me happy.”
Squire said this, but Nyx continued:
[ However, your brain is releasing dopamine… ]
“Stop, stop! Can’t you read the mood?!”
[ Attention, you are about to arrive at your destination, Charming Forest Clothing Store. Please don’t walk past it. ]
“Wait, what’s with this shop name? Are you sure this is a legit clothing store?”
[ According to platform data analysis, this is a clothing store focused on ‘androgynous beauty.’ The owner is reportedly the brand’s designer, so there should be clothing to your satisfaction. Please be sure to check it out. ]
Androgynous beauty?
That did seem to fit Squire’s needs.
But there was someone pacing back and forth at the entrance, making it impossible for Squire to go inside.
It was a beautiful white-haired… boy?
Squire hesitated, sizing him up. He had a slender, tall frame, dressed simply in men’s clothes, with delicate features like flawless porcelain, untouched by time, and on his chest was an AAAAA-rated scenic view…
Yeah, definitely a pretty boy.
He was pacing back and forth at the entrance, worry written all over his face, completely unaware of Squire trying to get in. It was starting to annoy her.
“Ahem, hey, if you’re not going in, can you move aside?”
“Huh? Oh, sorry.”
The white-haired boy finally noticed the short girl beside him.
“Little miss, are you here to buy clothes?”
His voice was sharp, and there was no sign of an Adam’s apple—was he not through puberty yet?
“Hey, are you here to buy clothes for your girlfriend but too shy to go in?”
Squire could understand why a guy might not dare enter a women’s clothing store alone.
But the white-haired boy shook his head.
“No, I’m here to buy clothes for myself.”
Squire was shocked.
“Huh? Isn’t this a women’s clothing store?”
Could it be… he had some unusual interests?
He did have the looks for cross-dressing…
Or maybe, because of his delicate face, he was being kept by some big company president?
The white-haired boy calmly placed a hand on his chest and replied, “No, this store specializes in ‘androgynous style.’ That means I can wear them too.”
What a bold and shameless pervert!