"I was born into a Christian family. Our doctrine dictates that believers must remain chaste before marriage…"
Seeing that Russell seemed to believe in her innocence from the start, Firecracker Girl softened a little, no longer bristling like a hedgehog.
"Heh, there are about a hundred million religious households in the U.S., but how many of their sons and daughters actually keep that rule? Probably rarer than a three-legged toad."
Russell replied casually.
"You're not wrong. Some girls are so promiscuous that they give themselves to their boyfriends for a moment of pleasure even before they turn eighteen. Sluts like that deserve to rot in hell."
Firecracker Girl lifted her chin, eyes flashing with a mixture of satisfaction and hatred, as if she were recalling someone specific. Her expression was the kind you'd have when pointing out the one area you surpass your enemy in.
"You're talking about Starlight and her boyfriend, Supersonic, right?
When you were young, Starlight falsely accused you and ruined your reputation. That sense of injustice and rage made you obsess over this topic. Are you hoping that one day, when you're successful, you'll use this to humiliate and mock her?"
Russell looked up briefly from his computer screen. That casual glance seemed to peel back her soul like layers of an onion, exposing her deepest thoughts.
"You… how do you know? No—I mean, I'm not that spiteful," Firecracker Girl stammered, her eyes avoiding his. "It's just… after what happened, everyone started thinking I was an easy slut who'd sleep with anyone for a glance. I didn't want to become the person they thought I was. I just wanted to prove them wrong by staying chaste until marriage."
"Ha. Maybe." Russell wasn't concerned with whether her words were true or not. His fingers flew across the keyboard as he sifted through a list of flying superheroes until one entry finally caught his attention.
—'Great Miracle'.
The name sounded grand, but he wasn't part of The Seven.
Russell had a faint impression of him—probably a side character in The Boys animated spinoff.
"Male, 28 years old. A top graduate from Godolkin University under Vought. His defense is comparable to steel. Peak strength: 40 tons. Maximum flight speed: Mach 6…"
"Great Miracle? Why are you looking him up?" Firecracker Girl peeked at his screen, curious about what he'd been so busy with. Was he bragging online about sleeping with some "desperate, slutty" female superhero last night?
Sensitive about these things, she couldn't help glancing over.
"Just another poor bastard who can fly."
She folded her arms and scoffed. She didn't see what was so interesting.
Here he was, with a sexy woman beside him, yet he was busy looking up some guy.
"A poor bastard who can fly? What do you mean?"
Russell raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
After all, he was planning to visit this guy precisely because he could fly.
"He can fly. Don't you think that overlaps with another superhero in Vought's lineup?"
Firecracker Girl, being a superhero herself, knew some of the behind-the-scenes dirt. She leaned in like gossiping with a fellow "normal" person.
"You mean Homelander?"
"Who else? Can you think of anyone else in The Seven besides Homelander who can fly?"
"…Now that you mention it, not really."
Russell thought for a moment.
"Homelander hates it when someone else flies down from the sky with fanfare, looking like a god, stealing even a shred of his spotlight.
Any flying superhero in Vought is basically banned from ever joining The Seven. In fact, they usually get posted as far away from New York as possible."
Firecracker Girl shook her head, her tone tinged with a kind of reluctant admiration.
"For example, this 'Great Miracle'. He was assigned to Seattle, more than 4,000 kilometers from New York."
Despite being someone Homelander could squash with a word, Great Miracle still had enough power to be entrusted with the security of an entire city.
That was a level of prestige Firecracker Girl—who didn't even qualify for a Vought contract—could only dream of.
At the thought of this, she suddenly remembered Starlight joining The Seven and couldn't help but look a bit dejected.
Unless something miraculous happened, she'd never get the chance to take revenge or clear her name.
"Homelander is such a tyrant."
Russell stroked his chin thoughtfully.
Honestly? That did sound like something Homelander would do.
"You think? Don't let those famous superheroes fool you with their polished public image. All that saintly perfection—it's just marketing.
Behind closed doors, they're darker, sicker, more depraved than you'd ever believe. You'd think I was just some jealous nobody trying to smear them."
Firecracker Girl sneered as she spoke.
"Take Great Miracle for example. I've heard he's a total pervert. Loves to take girls flying way up into the sky—so high the air gets thin—and gets off on watching them suffocate in his arms.
Just recently, after giving a speech at Columbia University, he killed two top honor students that way. Vought had to pull every string they had to cover it up."
"…Is that so?"
Russell frowned, stood up, and began pulling on his pants.
The news didn't shock him. He already knew how corrupt and depraved the superheroes in The Boys universe were. Taking lives for fun was nothing new.
"You're leaving?"
Noticing his movements, Firecracker Girl instinctively sat up.
"Oh right, it's morning already. Are you heading to school? Which high school or college do you go to?"
She smacked her forehead, remembering his age, and gave him a teasing smile.
Having hooked up with a still-in-school guy, Firecracker Girl didn't feel the slightest shame—on the contrary, she seemed proud.
When she was younger, greasy old men in the talent show circuit used to message her creepy invitations to participate in their "auditions." Just thinking about those made her sick.
Since then, she couldn't stand older men. Just being near them made her nauseous. She only liked younger guys.
"You're a bit too bulky. Might wanna lose some weight."
Russell didn't answer her question. Truthfully, he was going to school later—but not in this world. Instead, he raised an eyebrow and critiqued her figure.
He looked like a customer who had just eaten a free meal, picked his teeth, and still had the nerve to complain about the food.
"Hey! What do you know? I intentionally gained weight. Do you have any idea how hard adult life is?" Firecracker Girl shook her head, half laughing.
Students who hadn't yet entered society always had such simple, black-and-white views on things.
After her talent show prospects were ruined by scandal, and unwilling to sell out to sleazy old men, she tried a new path to surpass Starlight—starting a personal blog.
She targeted America's massive pro-gun population, joined the NRA, and became an outspoken gun rights advocate.
A beautiful girl fanatically preaching about gun freedom—this unique and contradictory persona helped her attract a large following.
She even bulked up on purpose, turning her once-slender body into something more "solid," to look like the kind of girl who was into firearms.
"The version of me you see online—tight shorts, thick thighs, patriotic red-white-and-blue outfits—every bit of that image is carefully calculated.
It's designed to appeal to Southern guys."
........
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