Harem Streamer System: Every Crime I Broadcast Wins Me a Superheroine - Chapter 87

Chapter 87: ~Intermission~ Black and Yellow
Emma took a hesitant step back as her brows furrowed in confusion.

Her hand shot out to point at Scott.

“How the fuck do you know my name──?!”

Her voice rose sharply.

Scott’s eye twitched ever so slightly.

He looked away, then scratched the back of his neck as if trying to conjure a plausible excuse.

“I didn’t say your name…”

His tone was casual, almost too casual.

Emma narrowed her eyes while her hands settled in the pockets of her denim jeans.

She scoffed as her lips curled into a smirk.

“Psssh—yeah, right. I heard you. You said my name. And not just like, ‘Oh, hey, Emma.’ No, it was like one of those dramatic movie moments, where the guy hasn’t seen his long-lost love in, like, forever. All ‘Emmaaaaaa’ with the deep, emotional tone.”

She leaned back slightly, crossing her arms as she tapped a finger against her chin in bogus contemplation.

“But, uh…”

She trailed off and her ingenue eyes flicked over Scott’s rugged, worn face.

“That doesn’t make sense either. Because, y’know, I’ve never seen you before. Ever.”

She took a step closer, tilting her head and squinting at him like he was some kind of puzzle to solve.

Lowering her voice to a conspiratorial whisper, she looked around as if there was anything to be suspicious about and spoke to him.

“So, it’s kinda weird for you to be calling my name all romantically and stuff. Might have to call my boyfriend to come kick your ass.”

She squeezed her eyes shut like a newborn.

“And trust me he’ll do it!”

Emma straightened up with a light chuckle as her playful grin erased the earlier tension.

Scott tilted his head slightly as a faint, almost wistful smile dragged at the corner of his lips.

“Wouldn’t be the worst thing in the world…”

He spoke very quietly.

Emma raised an eyebrow at him as her posture relaxed.

“Uh-huh. Sure, buddy.”

Her gaze swept over his disheveled appearance, and she pinched the hem of his dusty hoodie between two fingers.

“What’s with this, by the way? You look like a mess. Pretty sure if you cleaned up—styled your hair a little, maybe wore something that didn’t scream ‘I live in a dumpster’—you’d be pulling all the ladies.”

She dropped the hoodie and dusted her hands against her jeans.

“Not me, though. I’ve got a boyfriend. Handsome guy, super cool, great in b—”

She stopped abruptly and her face flushed slightly as she waved a hand dismissively.

“Oh, wait, TMI. Anyway, he’s awesome.”

She laughed awkwardly.

“Ah-haha. Look at me, blabbering my entire love life to a stranger. Weird, huh? Guess my mouth’s running faster than my brain… must be superspeed or something.”

She paused, then seemed to realize what she’d just said.

Her eyes widened slightly as she backtracked.

“Not that I have superspeed or anything! Totally average human here. Yep. Nothing unusual going on at all.”

Scott raised an eyebrow while his expression remained unreadable.

Emma just gritted her teeth, internally berating herself.

『What is wrong with me? she thought. I don’t even know this guy, and yet… I feel like I could just… talk to him? Tell him everything? That’s not normal, right?』

Her eyes met Scott’s again, and a small realization began to form.

She leaned in slightly to properly scrutinize his face.

“Wait a minute… you kinda look like my boyf—”

Before she could finish, a new presence interrupted the moment.

“HEY──!!”

Emma recoiled as a woman suddenly appeared between her and Scott. She had soulless yet oddly captivating black eyes and a playful smile that felt just a little too sharp.

Emma raised her hands defensively.

“Uh, hey! Just so you know, I wasn’t trying to, uh, do anything with your boyfriend or whatever. I have a boyfriend. A hotter one, by the way. Way hotter.”

The woman folded her arms and looked up at Scott with a smirk.

“Trust me, I know you have a boyfriend…”

It almost sounded like she was teasing the man.

“I was just wondering if he does.”

Scott scratched the back of his neck again, then looked away awkwardly.

“Tch. Whatever.”

Emma blinked at the strange interaction, raising a hand to wave them off.

“Well, uh… I don’t want to get in the way, so I’ll just—”

Her words died in her throat as she got a better look at the woman standing before her. There was something… familiar about her. Something she couldn’t quite put into words.

The woman noticed Emma’s lingering stare and tilted her head innocently.

“What? Something wrong?”

Emma shook her head quickly.

“No, it’s just… I don’t say this often, but you’re, uh… beautiful. Not just, like, in a physical way, but… there’s something about you. It’s familiar, somehow.”

The woman’s eyes sparkled with mischief.

“Oh? Is that so?”

Emma nodded slowly as a small smile tugged at her lips.

“Yeah. Uh… what’s your name?”

The woman grinned wider. “Death…”

Emma blinked. “Eh? Death?”

Scott immediately smacked the woman on the head.

“Use your proper name, idiot!”

The woman pouted and rubbed her head before turning back to Emma with a sheepish smile.

“Fine. It’s Denise.”

Emma hesitated, still unsure how to process what had just happened.

“Oh… that’s a nice name. Denise.”

Denise winked at her.

“Thanks. You’re not too bad yourself, Emma Graves. Hah~ Grave… how ironic…”

She found it oddly funny.

Emma froze. “Wait… how do you know my—”

Before she could finish, Scott groaned and turned to walk away.

“This is gonna be a long day…”

He muttered under his breath.

･･･

Emma crossed her arms and her brow wrinkled as she watched Scott shuffle away with his hunched posture making him look like a man carrying the weight of the world on his shoulders.

She tilted her head toward Denise, then raised an eyebrow.

“Okay, what’s wrong with him?”

Denise followed Emma’s gaze as her sharp, black eyes narrowed slightly when observing Scott’s retreating figure.

She then turned back to Emma with a casual shrug.

“He must’ve eaten bad soup…”

Emma blinked. “Bad soup?”

“Yeah, happens to the best of us.”

Denise’s tone was completely serious, though the playful curve of her lips clued at naughtiness.

“Ohhh…”

Emma trailed off, clearly unconvinced, but she chose not to press further.

Instead, her attention shifted to Denise.

Denise had skin so pale it looked like all the color had been drained from it, giving her an almost ghostly appearance.

Her deep black eyes seemed to pull you in, and she wore black lipstick on her perfectly bow-shaped lips, which added to her striking, gothic look. Her medium-length black hair was messy in a way that somehow enhanced her mysterious beauty rather than detracting from it.

She was dressed entirely in black—a crop top under a jacket, paired with fitted pants and sturdy boots, completing her dark and edgy style.

Emma’s eyes narrowed slightly.

『Note to fucking self: Make sure my man’s not charmed by a friggin’ goth girl. Holy frick.』

She cleared her throat and gestured vaguely at Denise’s outfit.

“So, uh… black must be your favorite color, huh?”

Denise tilted her head as her attractive black lips curled into a small smile.

“That’s because I enjoy the idea of non-existence.”

Emma blinked with a blank face. “Non-existence?”

Denise giggled softly.

… Tee-hee ♡~ hee ♡!!

Her pale hand rose to cover her mouth.

The redness of her cheeks stood out starkly against her alabaster skin, resembling ripe tomatoes.

“Oh, that’s right. You wouldn’t get it.”

Emma frowned slightly, curiosity gnawing at her.

“Try me.”

Denise rested a hand on her wide hip and extended the other as if presenting a concept.

“I like black because it’s the result of the absence or complete absorption of light. And for many, light represents life. So, the absence or complete absorption of life would be…”

Emma raised an eyebrow. “Death?”

Denise snapped her fingers and pointed at her.

“Bingo. Death is black, black is death—it’s a primordial color.”

Emma chuckled, shaking her head.

“Uh-huh. Primordial color. That’s one way to put it.”

Denise blinked several times, acting confused.

“What? You don’t believe me?”

Emma shrugged, a smirk tugging at her lips.

“I mean, I believe the whole death-is-black thing, but the ‘primordial color’ stuff? Sounds kinda silly.”

Denise stroked her chin thoughtfully, then smiled softly.

“Alright then. I’ll prove it to you.”

She pointed at Emma as her sharp gaze locked onto her.

“Your eyes were originally brown, right? But after getting your powers, they turned yellow.”

Emma stiffened slightly but said nothing while her lips pressed into a thin line.

Denise continued.

“Yellow represents things like joy, happiness, optimism—all common traits in speedsters. But it also represents jealousy, betrayal, danger. A little… darker side, wouldn’t you say?”

Her smile grew as she leaned in slightly.

“With a core personality like that, I just hope you don’t try to kill someone someday. Hah~”

Emma’s mouth fell open and her thoughts raced, but no words came out. She just stood there, utterly stunned.

Denise patted her on the shoulder.

Her touch was surprisingly gentle.

“See? That’s the primordial color of yellow. Ahah! Not so silly now, is it?”

With that, Denise slotted her hands back into her pockets and slowly backed away, smiling.

“Still though, yellow’s waaaay better than red. Nothing good ever comes from that color.”

Emma snapped out of her daze just as Denise turned and began walking toward a nearby alleyway.

“Wait—how’d you know I have powers? How’d you—”

Before she could finish, Emma dashed forward in a blur of motion as her superspeed carried her to the alley in an instant.

But when she rounded the corner, there was nothing.

No Denise. No Scott.

The alley was empty… as though no one had been there at all.

Panting softly, Emma scanned the area with confusion written all over her face.

“Wait… no… I’m sure she…”

She couldn’t find the words.

It was flabbergasting to say the least.

･･･

Meanwhile…

Several blocks away, Scott leaned against a lamppost, arms crossed as he waited. When Denise finally arrived, whistling innocently, he shot her a pointed look.

“You wasted too much time.”

Denise smiled at him, but this smile wasn’t the playful and innocent one she’d shown Emma. This one was hot, flirtatious, and brimming with sexual thirst.

“Oh, nothing. Just talking to my sister. No biggie. Or is that not allowed either?”

She folded her arms under her breasts and tilted her head as if challenging him.

“You beg me to help you come back here, and yet you don’t let me have any fun? That’s no fun… especially considering how many innocent souls died today because of you.”

Her voice dropped into a mockingly solemn tone as she sighed dramatically.

“I really hate compromising my work, but I’ll make an exception for love.”

She squeezed her face and her expression twisted into one of disgust.

“Not that bitch, Love. Ugh.”

She shot Scott a seductive look.

“… I mean, I love you.”

She pouted with exaggerated sweetness.

“Sooooo~ when are you going to show me some of that love, Monogamyman?”

Scott gave her a side-eye, clearly unimpressed.

“Yeah, no. Not only would your father probably erase me and this planet, but I’m not about to stick my—”

He gestured vaguely.

“—into someone who’d turn it into a rotten piece of flesh.”

Denise gasped as she clutched her chest theatrically.

“Aww, Daddy’s not that cruel. And besides, it’s not like he doesn’t know how important you are…”

She grinned very teasingly.

“Also, I heard guys would do anything for a goth girl. Even if it means getting a rotten dick.”

Scott slapped a hand over his face and groaned.

“Just open the damn portal, Denise.”

Denise shrugged, clearly enjoying herself.

With a casual twirl of her hand, a long, black scythe materialized in her grip.

She slashed it through the air to tear open a rift in space.

… slash────BWOOOOORRP!!

She smiled at Scott.

“Alright, let’s go.”