I'm Going to Be Famous! Caw$$

"Caw! Caw..."

The crows flapped their wings in alarm, but bravely placed themselves in front of the girl, striking a wary, protective pose.

The gust kicked up by Ryan's landing lifted the girl's skirt, and she glared at him. "Which reserve team are you with? Why are you barging into my territory?"

Supes were in competition with one another, and the rivalry among newcomers who hadn't yet secured a contract with Vought International was especially fierce.

For reserve team members like the Countess of Crows, the competition was even more brutal. It could even mean life or death.

After all, they could barely afford to eat, right?

Especially in New York, where every inch of land was worth a fortune, supes were strictly assigned to different areas.

With her strong sense of territory, the girl's first thought upon seeing a superhuman was that another one had come to steal her turf.

She'd already been driven off several times. This time, she'd finally found a neighborhood that no reserve team had claimed yet, only for something to drop out of the sky after she'd enjoyed it for barely two days...

A kid?

"Out showing your face at this age?" The girl exclaimed in surprise, finally getting a good look at Ryan.

"Reserve team? What's that?"

Ryan asked in return.

But as soon as he'd asked, he waved it off unconcernedly. "Never mind, that's not important. I'm just looking for someone to ask for directions."

"Do you know where the Seven Tower is? New York's huge."

The crows settled back onto the girl's shoulders. She tilted her head as if listening, then answered once they'd finished cawing. "Cameron says you mean no harm, so I can give you directions."

"Uh... kid, what are you going to Vought Tower for? You're so young. The reserve team wouldn't take you, would they?"

The repeated mention of the reserve team made Ryan curious. "So what exactly is the reserve team? I've never heard of it. Can you explain?"

Ryan's life in his previous world had ended before he'd even seen the finale of Season Four, so of course he didn't know who the girl in front of him was.

Naturally, he knew nothing about the reserve team or the young-hero groups, either.

"The reserve team is, of course..."

"Oh."

Ryan nodded in understanding.

The girl on the rooftop, with her heavy smoky eye makeup, had explained things rather muddily, but he was good at summing things up and extracting the key points.

In simple terms, the reserve team served to:

Develop talent—train and screen replacements for The Seven, ready to step in whenever a main member got into trouble.

Make money—target the teen idol market, become social media influencers, sell merchandise, and land endorsements.

Handle the grunt work—deal with minor city incidents, disaster relief, and patrols (most of it staged for the cameras). They took care of the dirty, exhausting jobs.

Now that he understood what the reserve team was, Ryan looked the girl over, then glanced around the rooftop.

He pointed at a tent. "So this is your... secret base? That's so cool!"

The girl's face flushed bright red.

Are you blind, kid?

Rolling her eyes, she replied, "That's right. This is my base. I'm the Countess of Crows, after all. Of course I have to stay outside with my crows."

"Okay, okay. Kids really do ask the darndest questions."

The girl had no interest in chatting anymore. She pointed in a direction and urged him on. "Fly that way. Vought Tower is over there."

"Really? Thank you, Countess of Crows."

Ryan thanked her earnestly.

He'd teased her earlier, but she'd still kindly given him directions in the end. There was nothing wrong with thanking her.

Just as he was about to take off again, a sonic boom suddenly rang out overhead.

The next moment, amid the gale-force winds, a figure wearing a cape patterned like the American flag slowly rose from a crouch.

"H-Homelander!!!"

"Caw, caw, caw!!!"

Homelander glanced at the girl, then at the crow on her shoulder, which had been startled into flapping its wings as if to flee.

His brows twitched. She was a supe, but an insignificant one.

In his eyes, supes were worth even less than ordinary people. At least, he didn't need their approval to maintain his image.

Unless they were chosen for The Seven—that might earn them a little respect from Homelander.

Homelander focused his attention on Ryan. "Son, you sure flew a long way in that loop..."

He stumbled over his words for a moment, then continued with a smile. "Uh, did you get lost? Haha. Good thing I went to... Ahem. Anyway, come on. Dad wants to take you somewhere."

"Okay."

Ryan answered in a subdued voice.

Homelander frowned. Something about his son's response didn't seem right.

But then he realized Ryan had just been separated from his mother. It was only natural for him to feel down and sad.

"Come on, son."

Homelander said no more. He merely nodded at the dumbfounded girl beside him, then flew up ahead to wait.

Ryan took off after him. After a brief pause, the two figures, one large and one small, quickly flew away in the opposite direction from the one the Countess of Crows had pointed out.

A gust of wind swept down over the empty rooftop.

The Countess of Crows jolted out of her shock at seeing Homelander—and at accidentally learning that he had a son.

She stared wide-eyed in disbelief, then asked the crow in a daze, "I didn't mishear that, did I? Homelander called that little brat... his son?!"

"Caw..."

"Homelander has a son! I-I... I'm going to break the story! I'm going to be famous! I... wait a second..."

Her expression suddenly turned to horror. "I gave that little brat—no, I mean that adorable, handsome, dashing, gorgeous boy—the wrong directions. What if he tells Homelander?!"

With Homelander leading the way, Ryan didn't have to worry about the route.

He'd just added the pretty girl to his list of potential supporting characters for the script, but his superhero story still needed more preparation before it could get off the ground.

So there was no rush to think about casting. In an instant, he put the Countess of Crows out of his mind.

He flew in silence, thinking about how to play out his upcoming conversation with Homelander, and giving some thought to how they should get along from then on.

Sincerity!

Pure, genuine feelings were the surest way to bring them closer. They were the best way to soften someone's heart.

But...

Ryan silently shook his head.

He had plenty of secrets of his own. He couldn't be completely sincere with Homelander.

So he would have to be sincere selectively.

He would show his true feelings, but not all of them.

He would be gentle, but with limits.

He would openly show his dependence on his father.

He could also display a boy's innocence and obedience, giving Homelander the fatherly affection and sense of belonging he'd never had, and soothe his sensitive, fragile heart with genuine warmth.

At the same time, he had to show that he could grow up quickly.

Now that he'd left his mother's protection, it was only natural for him to mature faster.

As he grew, he could keep his plans and calculations hidden.

"We're here, son."

Ryan came back to himself. Beneath him stood a towering building in the heart of the city.

The skyscraper, clad entirely in silver-blue glass, twisted gently from bottom to top, like a colossal crystal spear gleaming with a cold light.

A huge matte-black number 7 was set into the upper part of the building, along with the most eye-catching line of letters.

"VOUGHT!"