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

━ Meteor Grand Suites, Meteor Hills ━

Penthouse 2702

The TV was on. The volume wasn't too loud, but it was just enough to echo across the vast space of the luxury suite's living room. SMPE coverage was still going strong, and on the massive 85-inch screen, Judy Cho was in her element.

But no matter how vibrant the visuals or how energetic the crowd interviews were, both Marcus and Sarah kept glancing away from the screen… and back at the closed door on the far side of the suite. The room Scott had locked himself in since they checked in earlier.

He hadn't said much since coming back.

Hell, he wasn't even supposed to come back.

If they hadn't booked a room and told him it was already paid for, they were pretty sure he'd still be walking the streets—trying to find some magical way to fix everything that had gone wrong.

Marcus clicked his tongue and looked back at the TV.

Judy's voice came through, as confident as ever.

"It seems one of the top prodigies of this new generation of heroes presented at the SMPE today and had a stellar performance, but that's to be expected from someone like Infinity Girl! And hopefully, we'll be seeing more of Brigid, Princess Willow, and Prince River!"

The camera panned to a fan outside the venue.

He shoved his signboard right at the lens with a grin.

A very mad, obsessed grin.

"I LOVE YOU SO MUCH, IRINAAAA!"

Judy chuckled and played along as the guy added—

"Oooo, I can't wait for her to come out of this year's SMPE with top sponsors and maybe the BIGGEST fan base in the world! We're right behind you! (๑•̀ㅂ•́)و✧"

Marcus rolled his eyes and scoffed.

"Tch. Irina this, Irina that. I swear, these people treat anyone with flashy powers like royalty. Someone disrespects Brigid once, and boom—celebrity treatment."

He folded his arms and looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows at the city lights.

"Anyone who could treat someone like her like trash doesn't deserve the spotlight."

Sarah stayed quiet for a moment before replying.

"Well… Brigid kinda started it…"

Her voice was soft but certain.

"If she can't handle being criticized by just one person she's barely even acquainted with… then maybe she's not ready to be the kind of hero Nightwatch was."

Marcus turned to her.

But her eyes weren't on the TV anymore—they were staring down at the untouched tea in her hands.

Her face was tight. Not defensive. Just… heavy.

Marcus frowned.

"You don't really believe that… do you?"

She didn't respond. She didn't need to.

･･･

In the Suite Room

Scott hadn't moved from the same spot in over an hour.

The curtains were drawn, the lights dim, and all he did was sit on the edge of the sofa, elbows on his knees, gripping his hands so tightly his knuckles were bone white. His eyes were fixed on the opposite wall like he was waiting for it to break its silence and give him the answers.

His voice came out low.

"Everything I've done in the past… and even the things I didn't do… it's all coming back to me…"

A knock came—gentle, almost hesitant.

Then the door opened and Sarah walked in with slow and careful steps, like a secretary entering the office of a superior who just lost a battle.

And in a way, he had.

Scott looked up.

There was something pathetic in the way his face lit up when he saw her, like he'd been waiting for someone to give him permission to fall apart.

"Is there… is there something more I can do?"

His voice was hopeless.

So much so it made Sarah's throat tighten.

She didn't have an answer. Not a real one.

"I think I should try more, Sarah…"

His voice was trembling.

"I should've tried harder… maybe I still can."

"Sir…" Sarah mumbled, stepping closer.

He looked like a man who'd just survived a car crash and wasn't sure if he'd rather have died in it. His eyes were dry, but his face was wet with grief.

"Brigid…"

He whispered hopelessly.

"I'm sorry I didn't understand you sooner. I wonder how she really felt… did she ever even want to be my type of hero? Or… did she just want to admire it?"

He paused, then laughed bitterly.

"I always told her she could become that. I helped her push past her comfort zone… but I don't think I ever made her feel like she would. Not truly."

His hand clenched over his chest.

"Just thinking about it makes my heart ache."

Then, suddenly, he stood up, almost startling Sarah.

"Maybe I should just go there and kneel."

He looked so lost.

"Just beg. Maybe that's what it'll take to get her to say what she really feels."

He turned, ruffling his hair in frustration as he paced.

"But how desperate… how desperate is that? Huh? How pathetic is that, Sarah? Kneeling… just to hear something I should've asked months ago?!"

He spun back toward her. His voice cracked.

"Do I really care that much?"

He stopped.

"… But I do."

And then, his voice got tighter—his chest heaving like the air in the room was too thick.

"It doesn't even feel like I'm trying to save Brigid or Amalie anymore. Or fight Adira Crowe."

He hit his chest twice—very hard.

"It feels like I'm drowning in the consequences of my own incompetence… my own actions… and the one I'm trying to save is me."

Whump.

He hit his chest again, like he was trying to punch the suffocation out of his lungs.

"I'm so—"

Whump! WHUMP!

"So MAD right now!!"

His voice exploded and he lashed out as he knocked over the fancy porcelain tray on the side table. It crashed to the floor in an explosion of broken white and gold.

Sarah flinched.

Scott was already breathing hard, red in the face as his tears finally poured freely.

"But I can't say anything!!"

He shouted like a mad man.

"The things I did… and all the things I didn't do—It's all coming back to me!!"

He staggered back, panting.

"What can I even say to that?"

He turned his head away, shoulders trembling.

"… How can I even say it hurts?"

Sarah didn't say anything.

She simply stepped forward and gently wrapped her arms around him.

Just a hug. Nothing more. Nothing less.

They stood there in silence, the only sound being Scott's shaky breathing.

From the door, a worried Marcus quietly peeked through the small opening.

His eyes narrowed with concern, lips pressed tight.

『Do I call Aunt Em…?』

He'd never seen Scott like this before.

･･･

Meanwhile – Main Dining Hall, Crowe Manor

The long, grand table was excessive.

The sheer amount of silverware and crystal glass on it made the atmosphere suffocating.

Brigid sat near the middle of it, facing Adira, who hadn't stopped smiling.

Behind her stood Nina, elegant as ever.

Brigid felt like even her breaths were too loud.

Adira sipped her wine and finally spoke.

"I'm glad you've come back to your senses. Hopefully your diet hasn't been too sugary. I'll need your body in prime shape for some tests at the lab tomorrow. After that, we'll attend the SMPE for a few hours—I've prepared a new super suit for you. Custom-designed. Its tech will push your powers tenfold."

She smiled again.

Brigid, however, muttered under her breath.

"Lord Scott… would've asked me if my powers hurt the more I used them…"

Nina flared up instantly.

"How arrogant can you be—!? Do you know how many people dream of being in your position?! You should be thanking her, not saying garbage like that! I swear I—"

She froze when Adira raised a hand.

The room went silent again.

Adira stared at Brigid, her tone now… colder.

Less smile, more steel.

"You're still young. Confused. I get that. But if you want to be a real hero, make up your mind. I don't have time to coddle indecision. You said you left that confused model who knows nothing about being a hero to be something more. But I'm not here to hold your hand or play dead mommy. I'm here to make you a marketable hero."

Her cold, blue eyes narrowed.

"Be a hero and use your powers already so you can make your dead mother proud…"

Words too blunt to sharpen.

Brigid's fists tightened beneath the table.

Her jaw tightened furiously.

"You could've just said that from the beginning."

Adira sipped her wine, unfazed.

"I thought it was obvious. If it wasn't, then that's on you. But you're still here, aren't you? You know what you stand to gain from me. We're both exploiting each other."

She shook her head and let out a small chuckle.

"And the unfortunate ones will still say the rich always exploit the poor—as if we don't get crucified for every orphan we don't help or every beggar we don't feed."

Brigid's eyes burned, but she didn't let the tears fall.

"Fine."

･･･

Grand Entrance Hall, Crowe Manor

The giant double doors of the estate parted.

In stepped a middle-aged man surrounded by two discreet security escorts in black suits and earpieces.

He wasn't imposing. But he was… polished.

Dr. Hudson carried himself like a man who knew every camera was watching—even if none were currently in sight.

His hair, once bright blonde, had settled into a distinguished silver-gold blend that complemented his crisp navy suit. Despite being in his mid-40s, the tailored fit made him look subtly younger than one would expect.

He offered a few nods and mild waves as the mansion staff paused to bow or greet him.

"Good evening, Dr. Hudson!"

The maids chorused, practically in sync.

Hudson smiled faintly in return, already halfway up the fancy spiral staircase.

"Where's Adira?"

He asked in a casual tone.

One hand adjusted his silver cufflinks.

A young maid by the railing answered quickly—

"She's in the dining hall, sir. With a guest."

Hudson lifted a brow.

"A guest?"

Very unusual for his wife.

Still, he already felt sorry for whoever the guest was.

Getting personally invited to Adira's home for dinner almost never meant anything good. If she wasn't planning to threaten you in private, you were probably going to disappear not long after.

The last time this happened, it was Amalie Andersen, the head of cyber security. He always thought she was beautiful and carried herself with quiet grace. But after that dinner, she was never seen or heard from again.

『I have to be on my toes… at least until the elections are over and I'm the mayor.』

His steps resumed.

By the time he reached the landing, the scent of sterilized air and artificial truffle oil hit him.

And there it was—the infamous Crowe Manor dining hall.

It was a stunning gothic and modern design.

Shiny black columns lined the space, while the floor was made of smooth, pale marble that almost seemed to glow. Tall stained glass windows stretched up the walls, each one showing stylized images of heroes and powerful war machines.

But most of all… a dinner spread so lifeless it made hospital food look like gourmet cuisine.

The butler was already in position at the head of the long table, presenting the array like a curator in a cold museum of nutrient sludge.

Brigid sat stiffly, eyes locked on the foreign, color coded platters before her.

Meanwhile, Adira Crowe was already slicing into a dark green cube of… something, with all the beauty and elegance of a queen enjoying foie gras.

Hudson's eye twitched.

Of course. Of course, it had to be this again.

He wasn't irritated by the look of the food.

He was very used to it.

Years of watching Adira eat military-grade nutrient bricks and synthetic omega beads had dulled that reaction. What actually pissed him off was the fact that Brigid, this soft-looking, clearly uncomfortable girl, was being made to eat the same scientifically engineered compressed misery.

He sighed under his breath and approached.

"Nina."

He greeted coolly.

"Butler."

Both gave curt nods.

The tension in the room spiked a little.

Nina was straight-backed, while the butler looked like he'd just swallowed a data chip sideways.

Hudson turned toward Adira, but just as he opened his mouth—

"Could you be quiet for a moment?"

Adira said without looking up.

She held up a single delicate finger.

"My butler is about to speak."

Click. That's the sound of Hudson biting down so hard he nearly cracked a molar.

The butler cleared his throat.

There was so much sweat forming at his temples.

Still, he'd rather disrespect Hudson than Adira.

She was the one who owned the estate. In fact, she was the most powerful woman in all of Meteor City. She was also the reason Dr. Hudson became such a well-known doctor and politician in the first place.

"Tonight's meal…"

He spoke with so much fear in his throat.

"It… consists of a series of carefully engineered high-density supplements, each tailored to increase force-gene activity and limit toxin buildup. This—"

He pointed to a pale blue dish shaped like a flower petal.

"—contains a restructured form of omega-3s with micro-spliced peptides for mental focus."

He moved to the next.

"This grey one here is a silicate-carbon fusion paste that fortifies bone marrow conductivity, especially for those who emit high-voltage energy types. It is semi-solid but dissolves in contact with body heat."

Then another.

"This purple sphere offers mood stabilization as well as metabolic boosts, and—"

Hudson blinked slowly.

『Is she feeding this child lithium balls?』

Brigid looked like her soul was trying to phase out of her body and escape through the window.

Meanwhile, Adira was chewing calmly, one hand elegantly wiping the corner of her lips with a linen napkin. She looked like she was savoring the flavor of caviar, not a chalky cube of synthesized protein sludge.

Hudson clenched his jaw, then forced a smile that was more porcelain than human.

"So…"

He said lightly.

"You're serving this to a guest?"

Adira glanced up with a raised brow.

"Uh-huh? What is it you wanted to say?"

All eyes turned to him—Nina, Brigid, even the butler braced himself like this was a bad idea.

Hudson chuckled under his breath and fought to keep that smile on.

"Don't you think she should be eating something a bit more… real? Like rotisserie chicken? Masala rice? A decent salmon cut, perhaps. Our chefs are world-class. She doesn't have to eat… this."

He tilted his head toward Brigid and gave her a very warm wave.

Surprisingly, the girl smiled back, if only faintly.

Adira's fork paused.

Then she exhaled—tired, dismissive.

"You don't have a force-gene, honey. You might as well call yourself a disabled civilian. So could you please just leave and go eat between the legs of those escort girls you're always loading around in secret?"

The room went dead silent.

She continued, casually stabbing her food and taking another dry bite.

"The difference between you and I…"

She said through her chewing.

"is that Brigid knows what kind of person I am. She still doesn't know what a monster you are."

Hudson stood there, stunned for a moment.

He looked around like he was trying to locate the nearest exit or emergency protocol. Slowly, with the pain of a man swallowing crushed glass, he adjusted his collar and nodded.

"Right…" he said under his breath.

And without another word, he walked out.

His pride could only take so much.

Adira turned back to Brigid and offered her a gentle smile like nothing happened.

"Don't worry. Once we reach new heights with you, we'll finally build a world where heroes aren't worshipped like gods. A world where people don't need to be saved by them… because they'll be strong enough to protect themselves."

She let out a soft, partly angelic laugh.

"Money was never the root of inequality. Not once. It was always authority."

She returned to eating. Neatly and methodically.

Brigid just stared at her for a long moment.

Then, she forced herself to chew.