Harem Streamer System!

When they were done in the back, Scott and Maya walked out with their hands clasped behind their backs, whistling innocently as if nothing had happened.

Big Marv eyed them with tired, half-open eyes.

He didn't need to see what they were doing; the loud moans were enough to clue him in.

Maya's hair was messy, their clothes were roughed up, and they both had dust and cobwebs on them.

"Maybe next time you two should get a actual room. There are plenty of cheap hotels in Metro City."

The fat man slammed his fist on the counter.

"MY STORAGE ROOM IS NOT ONE OF THEM!"

Scott and Maya quickly made calming gestures, trying to ease his anger.

"Relax, Mister Marvin…" Scott said.

"Yeah, we even helped you organize some stuff in the back, you know!" Maya added.

"You should be thankful, really."

"Mhm!" she nodded.

As they spoke, they slowly backed out of the store, their words suspiciously calm.

Big Marv glared at them with annoyance.

In fact, he was fuming.

But the moment he looked at the sexy cover of the limited edition Rope Girl comic book in his hands, he started to calm down.

Smiling to himself, Big Marv kissed the cover again.

━ ━ ━ ━

Maya and Scott walked out of the comic book store, each with a backpack on their shoulders.

The sun was setting, giving the street a warm, golden glow as they made their way down the sidewalk.

Both of them looked a little flushed.

"That was… fun."

Scott calmly said as he adjusted his backpack.

Maya bit her lip to keep from smiling too wide.

"Yeah, it… kinda was~"

She looked up at him, trying to play it cool.

"Unexpected, but… fun."

"I mean, not what we planned when we came out for comics, but hey, no complaints here."

Scott chuckled and held her slender hand as they walked.

Maya rolled her eyes, though a blush crept up her neck.

"Yeah, well, don't get too used to it. We still have to finish that debate about 3.5e and 4e."

"Right, because obviously the 4e is be—"

Scott paused mid-sentence.

His attention was suddenly caught by the large display TV in the electronics store window they were walking by. The news was playing, showing unsteady footage of something smashing through buildings in the downtown area.

"Holy crap, is that…?"

Scott trailed off and stepped closer to the screen.

Maya glanced in the same direction.

… Huh?

Her heart sunk when she saw the news broadcast.

On the screen, Miss Mercury was trapped under a pile of rubble, struggling while a massive mechanical behemoth loomed over her. The scene was pure chaos—fire, smoke, and people running for their lives.

The mech looked like it had come straight out of one of the comics they'd just been reading.

"That's downtown… we were literally just there earlier. This is insane!"

Scott's eyes widened.

Maya stared at the screen, her stomach twisting.

『No…』

Miss Mercury was in real danger, and there was no way she could just stand by and watch. But when she looked over at Scott, he was still completely focused on the TV.

『We've barely had any time together lately, with everything going on in my life as a superhero. And now, we've started having sex again, and honestly... it feels pretty good, you know? Ugh, this shit really sucks.』

Maya sighed.

Scott looked over at her.

"Maya, are you okay?"

He sounded concerned.

"Yeah, I just… I forgot, I… I'm on my period."

The words tumbled out before Maya could even think of anything remotely better.

Scott blinked, confused. "Wait, what? Just now?"

Maya cringed internally but kept a straight face.

"Yeah, it's… complicated. You know, cramps and all that. I'll just, uh, meet you back at my place later?"

Scott raised an eyebrow, clearly still puzzled but not wanting to question it.

"Alright, if you're sure, then I guess… I mean, we can pick up some, uh—"

"I'm fine!"

Maya said quickly, nervously backing away toward the alley beside the store.

"You go ahead! I'll… I'll text you!"

Before Scott could say anything, Maya bolted down the alley as her heart pounded.

She came to a stop behind a dumpster, quickly looking around to make sure no one was watching.

"Alright, clear…"

Taking a deep breath, she let potent cosmic energy surge through her.

… SHIMER!!

Her clothes shimmered and changed, with her usual hoodie and jeans transforming into the familiar violet and silver suit of Pulsar. Her short hair gave off a faint glow, and the pulsar energy surrounded her like a second skin.

"Jeez, I hope that wasn't too weird…"

Maya muttered under her breath.

… Phew~

She took a moment to collect herself before rocketing into the sky in a flash of violet light.

As Maya rose above the city, the destruction below became more visible, and the massive mech was hard to miss. So was Miss Mercury, still trapped under the huge piece of concrete, just like Maya had seen on the news.

"No time to waste…"

Pulsar said to herself before speeding toward the chaos.

Back on the street, Scott stood there, still trying to process what had just happened.

He glanced toward the alley and scratched his head.

"Her period…?"

He shook his head in disappointment.

『She could've just told me she wanted to help Miss Mercury. I would've totally understood. Now, I feel like the love interest of the superhero that nobody likes because they only show up to cause the hero stress. Damn… I really am.』

Truly, he wasn't happy with this.

He stared at the alleyway where Maya had disappeared.

"Her period… tch, what a stupid excuse."

He stuffed his hands in his pockets and glanced up at the darkening sky.

… Sigh~

The warm glow of the sunset was starting to fade, and the first flickers of the city's neon lights were beginning to ignite.

But none of it made him feel any better.

Once again, he was ditched for superhero duties.

"Guess I'm just a side character in my own damn life…"

As he stood there, his phone buzzed in his pocket.

At first, he ignored it, but then the buzzing got more insistent… longer, louder.

Finally, with a resigned grunt, he pulled it out.

A notification popped up:

[Ding! You've unlocked the Harem Streamer System!]

Scott blinked.

"What the hell?"

The screen glowed with a neon-blue hue.

It was an intricate interface he'd never seen before lighting up with flashing icons and text.

Despite his confusion, he couldn't help but read on.

[Welcome to the Harem Streamer System! You are now the future host of the world's most exciting, most interactive, and most rewarding live-streaming platform! Gather viewers, earn rewards, and—perhaps most importantly—win the hearts of the world's most beautiful heroines!]

"What… the… hell…"

Scott repeated in shock.

A pop-up appeared:

[Your streaming platform has been activated!]

[+500 Credits earned!]

[You are to put out a video in the next 24 hours or face the penalty of losing the Harem Streamer System!]

His eyes flicked over the screen.

More and more information flowed in.

[Current Stream: Off]

[Current Viewer Count: 0]

[Tier 1 Skill: Stealth Mode unlocked!]

Scott stared blankly at the list of features.

"Tch!"

The entire thing looked ridiculous—like some kind of joke or a dream. He shook his head, stuffing the phone back into his pocket without even bothering to look through the rest.

"This is… stupid."

He muttered and started walking again.