“Pretty good.”
“Pure White Storm” Sista gave an objective evaluation of the milk tea itself, completely unaware that her behavior was unusual. Her expression was very natural, and it didn’t seem like she was playing a prank…
Just like when she saw her own corpse in the “Forest of Enchantment” back then—she had no reaction at all.
This person might be seriously lacking in common sense.
“This isn’t about whether it tastes good or not?!”
Clara shouted like that, and Sista nodded in agreement.
“Yeah, too much sugar isn’t good for your health.”
That’s not the point at all!
As for health, that was even more of a useless obvious statement.
Do people who drink milk tea really care about sugar content?
“I meant for you to buy your own! Who just comes over and drinks someone else’s milk tea!”
Clara was so angry she started cursing, but Lucia’s head popped up from behind and rested on her shoulder, asking:
“Clara, could it be that you and Mr. Sista… you two are very close?”
Well, we are pretty much an open book to each other!
Of course, she couldn’t say that. It was just an accident…
Unexpectedly, Sista said, “I’ve only met Miss Clara a few times, but because she’s very cute, I like her a lot.”
Lucia’s eyes went wide.
One eye was filled with curiosity, the other with intrigue.
“Oh! Li-like, liking as in…”
“What are you thinking!”
Clara raised her hand and left a palm print on her forehead.
“Probably like how you like those fluffy little animals, right?”
Lucia ignored Clara’s explanation and looked up at Sista.
He didn’t disappoint Clara and simply replied:
“I like cute things.”
He liked Clara purely because she was cute, no special reason. This let Lucia’s gossip-hungry hopes fall flat, but she still smiled wryly:
“Mr. Sista is really interesting~”
“He’s just missing a screw.”
Clara said this while looking down at the milk tea Sista had just sipped. She sighed helplessly, pulled out the straw, flipped the cup upside down to put the straw back in, and continued drinking.
This didn’t stop the saliva contamination at all; it was just self-deception. After all, asking for another straw felt too awkward…
“Miss Clara, are you also a hero?” Sista suddenly asked.
“Huh?”
It was completely unexpected.
Sista looked at the milk tea in Clara’s hand and explained, “I searched your company’s information. The hero registered with the Association named Clara matches you…
So you’re not a freak, but an undisclosed hero?”
Huh? How did he search?
Is Sista some kind of robot?
At this, Nyx explained after scanning.
[It’s a microcomputer connected to the retina and cerebral cortex, capable of quickly retrieving data needed during combat.]
So it was a prosthetic?
Nowadays, prosthetic modifications were indeed common, but they were very expensive. Clara hadn’t considered getting prosthetics, and even if she wanted to, she couldn’t afford it, not to mention the maintenance costs…
Wait.
In a way, the Nyx driver was the most advanced prosthetic—she had all the functions of a microcomputer, not only equipped with superintelligent AI ready to sabotage the user at any time but also able to disguise itself inside the body to avoid detection.
Most importantly…
It didn’t cost a penny and could maintain itself.
Clara wasn’t sure whether to be happy or not.
“Huh? Freak?”
However, Lucia didn’t understand what Sista meant.
Clara showed no signs of modification from head to toe; she looked like a petite, cute loli. Saying she was a magical girl would make sense, so why would Sista treat her like a freak?
Lucia’s pondering made Clara nervous.
Too much information had already been exposed. If Lucia found the little squid tentacles hidden in her hair, it would be a disaster!
“Ahem, yes, I’m the only hero from Dream Demon Manpower Dispatch Company!”
To stop Lucia from thinking further, Clara decisively admitted it.
She spoke a bit loudly, drawing the attention of other customers in the milk tea shop.
However, the industry was harsh—unknown heroes exploding themselves on the street wouldn’t matter to anyone, so no one cared.
They probably thought Clara was just a third-rate hero looking for fame; a few scattered comments were overheard, none of which sounded flattering…
That didn’t matter. After all, even third-rate heroes had better reputations than freaks from evil organizations. As a freak, Clara shamelessly took it as a compliment…
“Let’s not talk about that for now.”
Embarrassed, Clara gave up on the pearls she couldn’t suck up, jumped down from the bar stool.
“It’s 8:30! Can we enter early now?”
Disaster Alert
The Central City Expo Center was a large complex made up of multiple venues.
Located in the northern suburbs of Central City, near the airport.
Many exhibitions besides the hero expo were held here. Though it wasn’t downtown, transportation was still convenient, serving as a hub where multiple subway lines intersected.
The special ticket entrance was naturally separate from the ordinary visitors’, so regular attendees waiting in the chilling lineup wouldn’t feel unfair.
Although it was not yet nine o’clock, the three of them smoothly entered through a side door under Sista’s lead.
“Hm? Mr. Sista works for Sigma Heroes?”
Lucia saw Sista’s employee badge at the entrance, and he nodded.
“…Yeah, if you come to Sigma’s booth later, you’ll be able to see me.”
Indeed, she would see him, even on stage, though she probably wouldn’t recognize him.
But that didn’t stop her from admiring Sista’s status.
“An employee of a big company! Mr. Sista must be outstanding~”
Clara couldn’t help but remind her, “Big companies aren’t necessarily good. The work intensity is high, and there’s not much you can learn. You’re not thinking about job-hopping right after joining, are you?”
Lucia detected a hint of jealousy in that and turned to hug Clara.
“Of course not! I promised President Chesya that I’d make Miss Clara a popular new hero, so don’t worry!”
“Sigh, that kind of thing is better left until after debut.”
A popular hero?
Clara wasn’t confident about that. Even if she looked like a cute little girl on the outside, inside she was still a squid uncle. How could that persona ever be popular…
“Are we going to line up next?”
Lucia shook her head.
“No need to hurry to line up! Since we entered an hour early, as long as we line up before the visitors come in, it’s fine~”
“So what do we do now?”
“We have other work to do during this hour. Remember what I said before? Today’s another purpose is to do preliminary scouting for future work. So, Senior Clara~ please go mingle with other heroes and get familiar! We’ll split up!”
Calling herself senior suddenly meant Lucia was switching to work mode?
This girl was really reliable…
Compared to her, who only came thinking about having fun.
“Then should we check out the Sigma Heroes backstage?”
Sista suggested, adding, “My manager is already here. Checking backstage might help you learn more about the industry.”
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