Surprise Guest on the Stream!

The steady hum of the helicopter blades echoed through the cabin as it cut across the evening sky.

Suited up as Pulsar, Maya sat tense in her seat and gripped the armrest with white-knuckled tension. Her heart was racing, louder in her ears than the whirring of the chopper's rotors.

Her thoughts kept drifting back to Scott as his confused face flashed through her mind.

"God, what if he figures it out?"

She muttered under her breath, biting her lower lip.

Sitting across from her, Vincent Lakewood leaned back comfortably, like someone who had all the time and control in the world. His suit was neat, and his slicked-back hair looked as sharp as his focused expression.

One hand lazily swirled a glass of wine, while his cool, calculating eyes picked up on every little movement and nervous shift Pulsar made.

"Relax, Pulsar. You're shaking like a leaf."

His voice smooth was as the dark liquor in his glass.

Pulsar forced a laugh, but the anxiety was still there.

"I-, I'm calm…"

Vincent raised a skeptical eyebrow and took another slow sip.

"Right. Calm as a deer in the headlights."

He gestured toward her visibly tense posture.

"Here, have a drink. It'll help take the edge off."

He reached over, offering her the glass.

Pulsar quickly shook her head and backed away slightly.

"Uh, no thanks. I'm… not 21 yet. Can't drink."

She gave an awkward half-smile right after.

Vincent frowned slightly, not out of concern but annoyance.

"Ah, right. Legalities."

He gave the glass one last swirl before setting it down, his fingers drumming lightly on the rim as he thought.

For a few moments, the only sound was the hum of the helicopter.

"Look down, by the way."

Vincent nodded toward the window.

His tone was also much lighter than before.

"See that yacht?"

Pulsar paused for a moment, then leaned in a bit to look through the window at the massive, luxurious vessel slicing through the dark waters below.

"That belongs to Miss Mercury… arguably the prettiest hero in Metro City."

Vincent spoke with a touch of envy.

Maya's eyebrows shot up, genuinely surprised.

"Miss Mercury? I had no idea…"

"Yep."

Vincent leaned back, smirking a little.

"She's a real crowd-pleaser. Makes insane money off her merchandise alone. Although, between you and me, Rope Girl is probably the most-simped after. But Miss Mercury? Yeah, she's a close second. She's got the market heavily cornered on 'beauty meets brawn'."

Maya wasn't sure how to respond, so she just nodded slowly, unsure if she should feel inspired or uncomfortable.

『Ohhh… so this is what Scott means when he says most superheroes are just in it for the business side of things. Now I don't feel as bad that Miss Mercury wasn't getting much attention before. It seems like she's only after fame anyway. I'll just try to avoid her from now on. I really just want to focus on building my superhero career without getting involved with money-hungry women like her.』

After that, she nodded innocently.

Vincent let out a breath as his eyes narrowing a little, like he was sizing up a chance he had missed.

"Damn fuckin' shame I didn't sign her first. I could've made a fortune of her fat ass."

He glanced at Maya and the sharpness returned to his gaze.

"But I won't make that mistake with you."

Maya forced a smile.

"Right…"

She shifted uneasily in her seat.

Vincent's smirk faded as he studied her reaction.

For a brief moment, his casual façade cracked to reveal the shrewd businessman underneath.

"You're not just another face, Maya. You have real potential, and I don't waste my time with people who don't."

Maya's smile faltered slightly as she took in Vincent's words, but her mind kept racing. Her thoughts drifted back to Scott and the blank letter she had left for him that morning.

It was supposed to explain everything… how excited she was about working with Vincent, how she wanted to take control of her future, and how she was ready to be something more.

But she couldn't bring herself to pen it down.

It all felt too… complicated.

Maya's expression turned into a frown as she squeezed her hands between her thighs and let out a sad groan.

『Sigh~ I must be a terrible girlfriend, huh? I know my dad is going to be upset with me for ditching Scott because of my superhero career. I just want to do more, but I don't want to lose him either. It feels a bit selfish and inconsiderate of me. Scott isn't holding me back, is he? No, why would I even think that!』

She kept her head lowered in disappointment.

Vincent snapped his fingers and broke her deep thoughts.

"You're overthinking it. You need to get out of your own head. Focus on what's ahead, not behind."

Maya nodded, trying to seem more confident than she felt.

"I know. I'm just… processing, I guess."

"Good. You'll figure it out soon enough."

The helicopter started to lower, and Vincent's private jet slowly appeared on the tarmac below.

Maya sat up a little straighter, taking a deep breath.

Whatever was coming next, she'd have to face it head-on.

There was no turning back now.

━ ━ ━ ━

Sometime later…

Scott pedaled furiously down the street as his bike sped through the city like a bullet.

『Faster…』

The wind stung his face, but he didn't care.

His mind was set on one thing: getting home.

The sense of urgency pumped through his veins, in sync with the constant system alerts buzzing in his head and nagging him with each turn of the pedals.

… SKRRRRRTTT!!

He skidded around the corner, tires screeching as he made the sharp turn onto his block.

His apartment building came into view, and Scott pushed harder, leaning into the handlebars as if he could will the bike to go faster. He spotted the bike rack at the side of the building, but instead of parking neatly, he swerved, sliding in sideways and crashing the bike into the railing.

"Whoops…"

Scott muttered, barely even glancing at the damage before leaping off.

Without slowing down, he dashed up the steps, taking three at a time.

His panted heavily as he fumbled with his keys before finally shoving the door open and rushing into his apartment.

His eyes went straight to the desk across the room.

The computer.

He didn't stop to catch his breath.

Instead, he pulled the chair back and dropped into it, fingers moving quickly over the keyboard as he started up the system. Right after, he plugged in his phone, and as soon as it connected, the whole room lit up with holographic screens since the System automatically took control.

Scott fell back in his chair and exhaled heavily as the buzz of information flowed across his vision.

For the first time in hours, he allowed himself a moment to really relax.

Seconds ticked by.

He rolled his neck to crack the stiffness out of his muscles before reaching for the dark shades on his desk.

Sliding them on, he spun around in his swivel chair and put on his best "I'm-cooler-than-I-look" face. He was fully aware of how ridiculous he looked, but right now? It didn't matter.

"Alright, System… bring up everything from last night's fight. Let's see what I'm dealing with."

The screens came to life as clips from last night's fight with the robbers popped up all around him.

Fists flew, lasers sparked, and tech crackled.

Scott watched closely, studying every move, every flash of light, and every hit. His eyes narrowed when a clip of a tall, muscular man appeared in front of him.

"Pause…" Scott said.

The footage froze, and Scott leaned forward to study the image of the brute.

"Zoom in on the big guy…"

The System complied and magnified the image until the man's face filled the screen.

"And… enhance."

With a shimmer, the image sharpened to reveal the man's grim features… cropped hair, scars running down his cheek, and eyes that seemed dead behind the tough exterior.

"Run facial recognition…"

Scott said, fingers tapping lightly on the armrest.

[No results found.]

Scott scowled.

"Hrmm, I thought so. Run an intensive search. Check law enforcement databases."

The System hummed, processing the request.

After a few moments, the screen blinked again, and a new set of files appeared.

[Bingo!]

A criminal record.

The man's face popped up on the screen along with a long list of charges… murder, armed robbery, assault, trafficking in illegal off-world weapons. The works. The guy looked like the type who'd choke an innocent baby for fun.

Scott adjusted his shades.

"Ugh. This guy's got a history."

He tapped the screen lightly, bringing up more details.

"What's his address?"

[Address located in Metro City, East District.]

Scott whistled. "Nice neighborhood."

The System wasn't done yet, though.

[There's a 99.99% chance the subject linked to Black Mechanica Gang or the Purple Dragons.]

Scott squinted.

"Hmm, let's make a guess. Who's this guy rolling with?"

[Hmm, based on tech used in last night's encounter, it's likely the Black Mechanica Gang.]

"Err, I thought so…"

He placed one foot up on the desk, using the leverage to flip himself out of his chair and land on both feet.

"I'm paying this guy a visit tonight."

[Would you like me to announce your next stream? At what time, master?]

"Go for it. Let them know I'm hitting the streets at eight."

The System processed the request, and moments later, notifications flooded in as the stream was announced.

The instant comments poured in:

[Finally, some action! (￣▽￣*)]

[Black Mechanica, huh? Time to see some heads roll!]

[I've got my whole family watching!]

[Dude, don't forget the shades for the stream!]

[Bruh, 8? You're killing me. I've got work tomorrow!]

[Same here ╮(╯_╰)╭]

[Let's gooooo! Payback time, baby!]

[Black Mechanica? This is gonna be wild.]

Scott couldn't help but grin at the hype.

These viewers simply knew how to fuel the fire.

Hopefully, it'd be another big night.

But first, he needed to prepare.

━ ━ ━ ━

Emma paced back and forth across the grand living room as her fingers tapped nervously on her folded arms at superspeed.

The quiet in the mansion only made her more anxious.

She'd been waiting all day for an update from the masked vigilante—him—but there was nothing. No notifications, not a sign of activity from his usual sources.

She sat on the couch with a huff, and her eyes flicked to her phone for the thousandth time.

『Come on… where are you?』

A soft sigh escaped her lips.

Maybe tonight was just a bust.

Or maybe that blast really did leave him in shambles.

"No, no. I'm probably overthinking it…"

She mumbled to herself.

"He's fine. He's surely fine…"

But that didn't stop the anxious feeling in her chest.

The masked vigilante wasn't just some hero she was interested in… he was much more than that. Ever since she saw that brief clip of him in action, she couldn't stop thinking about him.

It was like she was under his spell. She wanted to know more about him, everything… from his battles to his streams, even when he'd reveal his plans to the audience. Thinking about him so much made her feel like she might lose her mind, and suddenly, she clutched her chest.

『What's wrong with me…?』

She didn't just admire him. She wanted to be like him.

But more than that…

『I feel like… like I'm…』

In love with him.

Emma blinked three times to be sure of what she said.

And she really had thought it.

"Maybe I'll just check one more time…"

Just as Emma reached for her phone again, a notification dinged across the screen.

She froze, eyes wide.

『No way…』

Her heart skipped a beat as she unlocked the phone and saw the message.

[Vigilante Stream Announced: Gonna be hitting the streets at 8 PM. Y'all better be ready.]

For a second, Emma just stared at the screen, barely able to process the words.

Then, a rush of excitement washed over her.

"He's streaming…"

She smiled so wide it made her cheeks ache. Her face flushed red, and she couldn't help but giggle softly under her breath.

『Of course, he's streaming tonight. Just when I was ready to give up!』

Emma quickly glanced at the clock.

Only a couple of hours before the action started.

That was plenty of time to get ready.

She leapt up from the couch and darted toward the corner of the room, where her closet sat. Her fingers hovered over the watch on her wrist and her smile turned into a mischievous and thirsty grin.

"You're not getting away from me today."

She pressed the button, and the room responded right away. The wardrobe shifted, with panels smoothly folding and sliding aside. From the wall, a large glass case emerged, slowly revealing the sleek, custom-designed suit she had her scientists work on just yesterday!

It was a stealth version of her original super suit.

"Alright…"

Emma smiled and placed her hand on the cold glass.

Tonight, Scott would have a surprise guest on his stream.

One even he didn't know of!