Starlight

Stormfront stepped forward and spoke first. "Soldier Boy wants me to join The Seven. I'm his friend."

Soldier Boy sighed, that feeling of helplessness washing over him again.

With Stormfront having said that, what could he do?

He could only pin his hopes on their father-son rapport. Don't let me down, Homelander.

He looked at Homelander hopefully, shooting him several meaningful glances, hoping he would refuse.

Madelyn could no longer stand it. Since when did Homelander get the final say over changes to The Seven's roster? He paid absolutely no regard to her as their manager.

"Wait a moment. Who are you?" Madelyn's smile hid a blade.

Stormfront ignored her, taking the opportunity to study Homelander as though he were a work of art waiting to be shaped.

Homelander noticed Soldier Boy's glances and pondered for a moment.

He had heard every word of their exchange and understood that the leather-clad hottie before him knew Soldier Boy. Their relationship was no ordinary one; she was very likely an old flame.

And Soldier Boy seemed to have agreed. He was in charge of The Seven now, so he could make the decision himself.

Then why bring her over and ask for my approval?

Just as Homelander struggled to make sense of it, Soldier Boy gave a somewhat anxious cough, then frowned and shook his head while Stormfront wasn't looking.

Homelander's eyebrow twitched as inspiration struck.

Father must be taking my feelings into consideration. He wants the newcomer to know I still hold a high position in The Seven.

As for shaking his head, he must be telling me not to feel pressured.

"I approve." A confident smile spread across Homelander's face.

He pointed at Stormfront. "And you, my friend, are the real hero."

Two people present now had faces as dark as coal. One was Soldier Boy.

The other was Madelyn, because nobody had paid any attention to what she said.

Overcome with anger, Madelyn stormed out of Homelander's room in her high heels.

"Thank you, Homelander." A heartfelt smile spread across Stormfront's face.

Homelander played along.

Soldier Boy watched Homelander expressionlessly. Homelander still had no idea he had done anything wrong.

There was a hint of smugness in Homelander's expression. See? One look and I understood.

The corner of Soldier Boy's eye twitched.

Fuck, my eyes were practically cramping just now. How the hell did Homelander get the idea I agreed?

Stormfront didn't notice anything amiss with the atmosphere. Instead, she took the opportunity to sit on the edge of the table and consider her plans for reshaping Homelander.

Homelander suddenly remembered something and turned to Soldier Boy. "Right, now that this lady has joined, the vacancy in The Seven has been filled."

"So we might need to cancel the public tryouts in a few days. What do you think?"

Soldier Boy had nowhere to vent his anger. Irritated, he was about to tell Homelander to handle it himself when he suddenly thought of someone.

Starlight.

In the original show, Starlight was the one who filled the vacancy in The Seven.

So we're about to enter a crucial part of the plot in the world of The Boys again?

"No, keep them going," Soldier Boy said.

Homelander looked somewhat troubled. "The Seven is already an established brand. Adding another person would cause losses."

He glanced at Soldier Boy's expression and changed his tune. "All right, I'll think of something. Maybe kicking out that useless A-Train would be a good idea."

Soldier Boy hesitated. A-Train was also a key figure, and he had a feeling that A-Train would bring in a lot of Exchange Points in the future.

"Why do we have to kick anyone out? I think there's a better direction for The Seven to take," Stormfront interjected.

Homelander grew interested and motioned for her to continue.

Stormfront went on, "Seven is too few. Vought has wasted far too many resources over the years."

Homelander froze, and a gleam of interest appeared in Soldier Boy's eyes as well.

After all, Stormfront had displayed exceptional political talent in the original show, manipulating public opinion with ease. Her ideas were bound to be interesting.

Stormfront continued, "Do you know what Vought's biggest mistake has been all these years?"

"Vought has always been cultivating an air of exclusivity. They think The Seven is valuable precisely because it only has seven members."

"But being valuable doesn't mean being profitable."

"Vought has over two hundred superheroes on its books, but The Seven is the only team that actually makes money."

Homelander frowned. "What are you trying to say?"

"Keep The Seven and establish a second team, then even a third." Stormfront smiled confidently.

"Give each team a different style and positioning to attract different fan bases."

"Fans from different camps will argue over their favorite teams and compete on their own. The amount of discussion will grow exponentially."

"Wait, having too many teams makes management difficult. You know that, right?" Homelander felt that would affect his own standing.

Soldier Boy suddenly said, "We could nominate you as the joint captain to oversee all the teams."

Homelander's eyes lit up. His last remaining concern disappeared.

Stormfront spread her hands and continued laying out more details, as though painting a picture of the future.

For the first time, Homelander took a serious look at Stormfront. This woman really seemed to understand how to attract attention.

Beside them, Soldier Boy rubbed his chin. Why did this sound more and more like those idol boy bands of later years?

But that didn't matter. Stormfront's proposal was entirely feasible.

Most importantly, he wanted to recruit more people to his side.

People like Private Angel, Bombshell, and Bloody Mary.

They were all valuable resources, more than capable of turning the original plot upside down.

Soldier Boy leaned forward, his tone suddenly growing more serious. "I have one requirement."

Homelander and Stormfront both looked over.

"From now on, The Seven has to actually save people. No shooting commercials, no acting. Anyone who can't do that can get out."

The meeting room fell silent.

Something flickered in Stormfront's eyes. "Ben, you really are different from before."

Meanwhile, in Ohio.

Morning sunlight slipped into a bedroom, illuminating a poster of The Seven on the wall.

On the television, a host was excitedly reporting the news.

A blonde girl beside the bed was carefully straightening her uniform. There wasn't a single wrinkle in the blue-and-white suit.

Annie January, the future Starlight.

She had begun training under her mother at three, participated in local hero events at ten, and become a state-level superhero at fifteen.

Today, at last, the opportunity she had always dreamed of had arrived.

A woman's excited voice came from outside the door. "Annie, come out! Applications are open!"

Annie immediately ran out of her room.

In the living room, her mother, Donna, was already flushed with excitement. The computer screen in front of her displayed the Vought website.

[The Seven's tryouts are officially open. Current applicants: 1,837]

Annie's breathing grew faster and faster as she clicked the apply button.

At the same time, far away in New York, a system notification suddenly sounded in Soldier Boy's mind.

[Ding.]

[Detected: key character Starlight has entered the main storyline.]

(If there's anything you'd like to see, or if you have any suggestions, you can leave them in this paragraph's comments.)