At the center of Memorial Park, a majestic Memorial Monument stood tall, built to honor the heroes who sacrificed their lives in the war.
The Memorial Monument was located within a vast underground dome, the dome’s ceiling covered with translucent skylights that allowed beams of sunlight from the surface to shine through.
These rays were precisely calculated and refracted, ultimately converging on the Memorial Monument and creating an atmosphere of unparalleled sanctity and solemnity.
The location for the Sigma Heroes’ fan meeting was right on the vast Square in front of the Memorial Monument, and by now, the place was already packed with people…
“So this is what it means to be a popular hero, huh?”
In the corridors around the Square, fans eager to attend the meeting continued to pour in.
Most of them wore T-shirts emblazoned with Sigma Series hero designs, their hands full of various merchandise and glow sticks.
Just watching made Squire a little reluctant to squeeze in herself—let alone the fact that the event hadn’t even started yet. Who knew how long it would take before it was actually her turn…
[If you don’t line up now, you really won’t be able to get in.] Nyx urged her.
“Oh, give me a break.”
But in order to get a hero’s autograph she could sell at a high price, Squire still finished off the mineral water in her hand in one gulp and braced herself to dive into the crowd. She grumbled about hating commercialized and fake heroes, yet still wanted a share of the profits…
As for this inner contradiction, Squire could only excuse herself by thinking, “It’s all for my little sister”—even though no one needed her to explain.
“Lucia, that girl, really landed me with a troublesome errand this time, huh?”
But after squeezing into the crowd, she immediately regretted it.
The Sigma Heroes project targeted women, so all the fans were young women as well. But even by female standards, Squire was far too short. The wall of young women in front of her was so tall she couldn’t even catch a glimpse of the stage on the Square.
With so many people at the scene, it was impossible for everyone to get an autograph. Only those close to the stage had a chance to line up for the signing session…
If this went on, there was no way she’d get an autograph. This event was practically a battlefield!
On the other hand, the people around her were all young women who had dressed up to leave a good impression on the heroes on stage.
For Squire, being surrounded by a sea of young girls was an experience she had never had in her thirty-five years of life…
But she couldn’t bring herself to be happy—she just felt suffocated and oppressed.
It was unbearable. All she wanted was to go home and draw manga.
However, having been pushed onto the Square, Squire couldn’t even get out anymore.
Since there was no retreat, and staying in the middle would get her nothing, she could only do her best to push to the very front!
But she’d underestimated the terror of the crowd. The further forward she went, the worse things got.
There was less and less room to move, and she was about to be squeezed so hard by the fans around her that she’d spit out her insides.
These girls were all here for autographs too, so they wouldn’t care about Squire’s predicament. To get their “big brothers’” signatures, everyone else present was the enemy.
“This is bad, I can barely breathe…”
Is this the battlefield of idol fans? Terrifying!
Just as her consciousness was starting to fade, a deafening wave of screams and cheers suddenly exploded around her.
“Ahhhhh!! The heroes are coming out!!”
“Redscarlet is so handsome! Hot-blooded heroes really are the best!”
“I think Bluegreen is great too! He’s a bit frivolous, but that’s exactly what makes him charming…”
“No, Azure Cavalier is the perfect man, combining both wisdom and reason!”
Apparently, the heroes had taken the stage, and the girls around her were excitedly discussing them. The entire Memorial Monument Square was boiling with excitement, but Squire couldn’t see a thing.
Each of the Sigma Series heroes had their own unique personality and style. Even if they were all just characters, they were undeniably appealing to women. No matter what kind of “big brother” a girl preferred, she could find her type here…
In the end, they were all just waiting to be harvested like leeks.
However, the violent surges of the crowd further squeezed Squire’s already limited space. Her feet were now off the ground, sandwiched between two girls in front and behind, making it even harder to breathe.
“Urk, I’m going to die.”
More than an autograph, she just wanted to get out alive.
No choice—she’d have to transform into a Magical Girl and escape riding the Inkstained Staff.
Between an autograph worth tens of thousands and her own life, Squire chose the latter.
But just as she was about to call for Nyx, a white shadow swept over her head. This time, even Squire could see clearly: a white hero with mechanical wings was hovering above the Square.
Then, as if he’d noticed Squire’s predicament, two steel cables shot out from the hero’s wrists, wrapping around Squire’s armpits and lifting her out of the dense crowd.
“Eh?!”
Suspended in midair by steel cables, Squire’s pale face immediately became the focus of the entire venue. Anyone could tell she was a loli on the verge of being squeezed to death.
“Oh my god! Purewhite Storm just saved a little girl who was about to suffocate?”
“Aaaah! The new hero is so gentle!!”
“I can’t take it, why wasn’t it me?!”
“I’m about to die too! Save me!”
The crowd below erupted again, not only with cheers, but also with jealousy and flashes from cameras.
Purewhite Storm, the newest fourth member of the Sigma Series heroes.
This fan meeting was held specifically to promote him, and now she had become a kind of “prop” for publicity.
She’d probably end up on entertainment news, becoming the “beauty” in a “hero saves beauty” story.
And after that, Purewhite Storm set her down at the very front row—no, even in front of the front row, right inside the police line.
This was practically the Vip Area.
“Little sister, are you okay?”
A clear male voice came from above her.
The hero in white exoskeleton armor slowly landed before her. His armor was light and delicate, the pure white paint gleaming under the light, the mechanical wings on his back folding to their smallest size.
Up close, Purewhite Storm wasn’t especially tall.
He wore a mirrored helmet with honeycomb-shaped sensors glowing white. Though his face was hidden, Squire could unexpectedly sense genuine concern and sincerity.
“Thank you…”
Though she disliked commercialized heroes, after all, he had saved her life, so Squire still murmured her thanks. But Purewhite Storm said:
“But I never expected you to be one of our fans.”
“Hmm? Have we met before?”
Purewhite Storm didn’t answer. He just met her gaze for a moment, then turned and leapt onto the stage, where he began his speech as the new hero at his first fan meeting—mostly thanking fans for their support and love, the usual empty words.
However, Squire was suddenly reminded of something.
That white-haired boy she’d met in the Enchanted Forest—could he be Purewhite Storm?
She remembered something about a Manager.
The body type was similar, too.
Only a slender boy could fit into this brand-new exoskeleton armor. Since it was designed for lightness, there were naturally requirements for the wearer.
The other Sigma Series heroes all had strong builds. Even the Azure Cavalier, known for his intelligence, was no exception. There was no way any of them could fit into this suit, but that white-haired boy was just right.
As the highlight of the fan meeting, the heroes would remove their armor at the end and interact with fans in person—the autograph and handshake session would be then.
Preparing new clothes for that occasion made perfect sense.
If that was the case…
She should have asked for an autograph in the Enchanted Forest, and then she wouldn’t have had to suffer here.