Although Lucia really wanted to sneak a peek backstage at the big company’s booth, the atmosphere between Sista and Clara was quite pleasant.
Even though both of them claimed it wasn’t the “like” kind of feeling, Lucia’s nose detected a faint whiff of intrigue.
The sixth sense of a gossip-loving girl told her that something must have happened between them.
Sista, although lacking common sense and somewhat aloof, was clearly easy to talk to. Most importantly… he was also a strikingly handsome youth~
And the equally adorable senior Clara didn’t show any dislike even after being handed a milk tea, which at least indicated she didn’t mind him psychologically…
A perfect match! There’s potential!
Some people are just born matchmakers, and Lucia was definitely one of them.
“Well then, I’ll go check out other companies’ booths! You guys keep it up!”
Without waiting for Clara’s consent, Lucia waved her hand and ran toward the platform of the huge robot in the distance.
“That girl… sorry, my employee isn’t very steady.”
Clara, left behind, scratched her head and looked at Sista.
“But just like she said, since we’re a startup, we still need to learn from observation to gain experience… Could you let me tour the backstage?”
“Of course, since I was the one who suggested it.”
Sista nodded.
“Our booth is only medium-sized after all. Sigma Heroes isn’t exactly a big company.”
Although they had popular heroes, there were only a few from the Sigma series. Companies with popular heroes but no top-tier heroes like this were especially easy targets for evil organizations, and were prone to fading away quickly, often going bankrupt early on…
After all, popular heroes without strength are just high-return soft targets, right?
Of course, there were cases like Ps·ycho, who attacked with personal motives…
Because of this, Clara thought that “Sigma Heroes Company” was a very suitable subject to learn from for the “Dream Witch Manpower Dispatch Company.”
As a new hero, she wasn’t very confident in her abilities. Although she had defeated the Minister of the Modification Department, the opponent wasn’t in a rational state then, and the only real victory she had was against the B-rank hero Shin’i.
If Magical Girl Clara really gained popularity in the future, she would surely be targeted by other evil organizations as well. At that time… whether the company would survive was anyone’s guess.
The stainless steel ceiling of the booth displayed the huge Sigma logo, with a giant holographic screen as the backdrop. On both sides of the booth were small entrances, which led to the closed backstage area.
A female staff member was on guard at the door. Seeing Sista, she greeted him:
“Hard work today, Pure White Storm.”
“Good morning. Has Ms. Damo arrived?”
“She’s inside. And this young lady is…”
The staff member, with a mechanical arm mounted on her back, pressed down her hat brim.
Although she could allow Pure White Storm in, she hesitated slightly at Clara following behind. Sista introduced her:
“She’s Clara, a fan of mine. You remember the little girl who helped me deal with that ‘Fourth Disaster’ monster a few days ago?”
The staff member’s eyes lit up immediately.
“You’re that little girl from the restroom… uh, sorry.”
Only after saying this did she realize her rudeness, but Clara’s expression had already fallen.
If this continued, the prefix of her hero title would change from “Magical Girl” to “Restroom Loli,” turning her into a joke.
Sista didn’t notice Clara’s small reaction and said:
“I’ll take her inside for a tour and a break. She’ll leave when the exhibition starts.”
“Alright~”
To make up for the awkwardness, the staff member generously let them pass.
“Damo… is she your manager?”
It was a strange name for a woman.
Could she be like Manager Conor from “Forest of Charm,” a man suffering from Magical Girl aftereffects?
“Yes, Ms. Damo always arranges everything for me. She’s reliable and gentle…”
“Oh? Why the praise right after I arrived?”
Walking into the backstage, the only sofa was occupied by a woman with a pixie cut dyed purple. She wore a casual suit shirt and aviator sunglasses.
So cool.
This was the first impression Damo Ogata gave.
“Oh, where’d this little guest come from?”
Damo continued: “Sista, the company gives you the greatest freedom and allows you to act freely outside of event hours because they want you to learn and accumulate more experience, filling in the human part… but don’t go picking up bad habits, okay?”
“This isn’t kidnapping, Ms. Damo. This young lady is Clara, a hero who hasn’t officially debuted yet.”
“Oh ho?”
Sista introduced Clara’s identity to Damo again. After hearing it, Damo scratched her head.
“Company size aside, isn’t that a competitor? You can’t bring people from other companies backstage.”
Clara said: “Sigma also started as a small company, right? And our tracks are obviously different. Your company’s ‘Sigma Series’ targets a female demographic, while our company’s… ‘Magical Girl Clara’ clearly isn’t female-oriented.”
“That’s not so sure. Women have no resistance to cute things… Whatever, there won’t be any secrets back here. It’s good that Sista has friends beyond those three stinky men…”
“Hm? Three stinky men?”
Sista explained:
“That refers to my seniors.”
The Crimson Red Star, the Azure Green Echo, and the Cerulean Cavalry. Clara wasn’t particularly impressed by those three but asked, “Aren’t they coming today?”
Damo put down her tablet, grabbed Clara’s hands, sat her on the sofa, and hugged her: “The Radiant Heroes Festival lasts five days. Only on the last day do all members appear. Before that, it’s a rotation.”
But what Clara was thinking was… Ms. Damo is really big.
The casual suit was loose enough to hide it, but when being held like this, it was obvious. Though just a manager, she had such a great figure—was she planning to debut herself?
“Sista, go change into your stage outfit. I want to have a word with Clara.”
Damo pointed at the clothing paper bag on the table.
Sista nodded, took the bag, and walked toward the dressing room in a corner of the backstage.
Damo quietly asked, “Does Clara like our Sista?”
The question sounded less like a manager’s and more like a parent’s.
“Huh?”
Damo pushed up her sunglasses.
“That kid’s special. You’ve probably noticed, right? The human part of him is weak because he was raised with the concept of a hero from birth.”
“Lacking common sense is something I know well… but what do you mean by ‘raised with the concept’?”
Damo was vague and unwilling to explain more to Clara, saying only:
“Heh, that’s for you to find out… Spend more time with him…”
Clara hated riddlers.