Harem Streamer System: Every Crime I Broadcast Wins Me a Superheroine-Chapter 199: Peaceful Departure

Harper Residence.

The living room was cozy and chaotic.

Mismatched furniture and half-eaten snacks.

The flat-screen TV was blaring, front and center, with Konrad Kain in high definition, practically foaming at the mouth as he screamed into the camera. His desk rattled from his fists pounding against it. His comb-over glistened under the studio lights like a war flag.

"ANOTHER NEW DAY!"

Konrad bellowed, stabbing a finger toward the screen.

"And another glorious twenty-four hours to be thankful that that terrorist Nightwatch is out of our lives! And NO! I’m definitely not still talking about him just to milk views and keep my show relevant—how dare you suggest that?!"

Scott sat on the couch in the dead center of the chaos, legs crossed, arms folded, eyes dull and half-lidded as he stared at the TV like it owed him money.

On his left, Emma munched popcorn without remorse.

On his right, Jake was half-lounging, one sock missing as he guffawed like a cartoon hyena.

Konrad pointed at the screen like he could reach through it and poke Scott into annoyance.

"Over a month, people! And still no word! Because the HERO AGENCY is doing their job excellently, keeping this country safe, protecting our children from the sick vigilante legacy of that bastard! And I—"

He paused to take a breath, then smoothly added with a smug smile.

"As a father of three beautiful daughters, I say: good riddance to October! Hello to snow, November, and hopefully a Nightwatch-free Thanksgiving Day!"

He chuckled. Smug.

Smugger than a cat sitting on a warm laptop.

"Ohoooo..."

Emma and Jake chorused at the exact same time as they burst into matching cackles.

"BURN!"

Brigid shot up from her seat like a lit match, fists clenched and eyes blazing like twin supernovas.

"Just say the word, Lord Nightwatch!"

She declared, fire practically leaking from her irises.

"And I shall mutilate that mean man’s mind! How dare he slander your name so casually?!"

Scott didn’t even blink.

"I’ve done literally nothing as Nightwatch for over a flipping month, and I’m still not getting any breathing room from this KKK guy..."

Emma shrugged, popping a kernel into her mouth.

"Well, makes sense. Every time he talks about Nightwatch — or that one sex scandal with The Peak that was clearly a desperate reach — his ratings shoot through the roof. Why stop if stupid pays?"

Scott slouched. "Fair point..."

Emma gently turned his face toward her with a finger under his chin.

"Besides..."

Her voice softened in a very sexy way.

"If people need the media to tell them what kind of hero you are, then they’re not real fans."

She leaned in, smile curling just a bit wicked.

"Your biggest fan is sitting right here."

Her fingers brushed against his cheek.

"As long as me and my fat ass are around, you’ve got nothing to worry about, okay~?"

Scott’s face warmed with a hint of red.

『It’s been a few days since the whole Lumin thing... she definitely still knows about the Nadia thing... but she hasn’t brought it up at all... why?』

Still, he gave her a small smile, the kind that meant thanks for not making this awkward right now. Emma leaned in and gave him a soft, wet kiss on the cheek, then nestled even closer into his side.

Just then, Jake’s mother, Annette Harper, strolled into the living room with a tray stacked with cookies and a smile that could only mean trouble.

"Oooh..."

Annette said, sing-song.

"I hope I’m not interrupting something... special?"

Scott and Emma replied in perfect unison:

"Nothing big, Mrs. Harper."

They blinked at each other. Then at her.

Annette’s eyebrows wiggled. novelbuddy.cσ๓

"Matching sentences, too? Now that’s genuine."

She set the tray down.

Emma tilted her head, confused.

"Huh?"

"Well..."

Annette said, sliding her hands into her cardigan pockets.

"When I heard yesterday that Emma was a college dropout and running her own multi-million dollar business, I thought, ’Hmph, maybe she’s just doing what older women do with young men—kill time.’ I was worried."

Scott made a choking sound.

Emma went bright red and dipped her entire head below the neck of her oversized black-and-yellow hoodie.

Annette winked.

"But I see the way she looks at you, Scott. It’s real. I’m not worried anymore."

"Wh—Whatever..."

Emma muttered into her hoodie.

"Don’t get a big head..."

Scott grinned. "Love you too, babe."

"Tch..."

Emma rolled her eyes, but the soft smile under that hoodie easily told on her.

Then came the bombshell.

Annette gave them both a knowing glance and added:

"But uhh... maybe avoid having sex in my kitchen. Against the fridge. I saw you two last night."

Dead silence.

Gwen’s face exploded into tomato red and she sat upright like someone just pulled the fire alarm.

"Wait— WHAT?!"

Emma turned to Scott slowly. Dangerously.

"Did you really have kitchen sex with Gwen?"

Scott looked left. Right. Left again.

"Yeah?"

Emma huffed.

"How could you?! Tch, you really could’ve told me! I can’t believe I missed out on that... okay, yeah. We’re definitely doing that tonight. I wanna know what it feels like to get pounded over a kitchen island..."

Scott nodded. Meekly. Respectfully.

Meanwhile, Annette was still in her own sitcom.

She sighed dramatically, cupping her cheeks.

"I just hope my own son starts bringing home more women soon or I’ll start thinking he’s gay—which is fine!—but I want grandkids!"

Jake practically exploded. "MOOOOOOM!"

Annette giggled mischievously and waved it off.

"Oh, please..."

She turned to Gwen.

"By the way, Gwendolyn, your mom just called. She should be picking you up soon. Got your bags ready?"

Gwen nodded politely. "Yes, Mrs. Harper."

Once Annette left, Scott leaned forward to look at Gwen.

"Can’t believe you’re really leaving..."

Gwen was on a video call with Rhinoman, Mr. Sphere, and Gadget Girl—all three giving the poor girl enough college advice to fill a Bible.

She sighed.

"Well... I wanted to defer till next session. But my mom didn’t want that. My dad’s been yelling about it all the way from New York. So yeah..."

She adjusted her laptop.

"And you know I’ve already missed like half of my midterms. Which means gruesome online exams even after I come back for Thanksgiving. Ugh."

Emma nodded solemnly.

"Yeah. Met U’s like that. If you defer, you risk losing your admission slot."

She chewed briefly on her popcorn.

"Plus, next year could get crazy competitive."

Then she side-eyed Scott.

"Speaking of school... shouldn’t you be prepping to write your GED? You’re going to college next year, right?"

Scott raised a brow. "Well..."

Jake perked up.

"Dude. You have to take the GED! It’ll be easy! Plus, how cool would it be if we were both freshmen at Met U, brooo!"

Scott looked away.

The sheer hope in Jake’s eyes made his insides twist.

"I’ll think about it..."

He noticed everyone’s weird looks.

"Hnnn..."

The unspoken what do you mean, you’re not sure? hung in the air like bad perfume.

Desperate to change the subject, he turned to Dark Elf.

"So... you heading to Met U with Gwen?"

Dark Elf was elbow-deep in a bag of spicy chips.

"Maybe. Or I’ll just join her later today. Don’t wanna deal with awkward questions from her mom about who I am. I hate lying, so I’m not planning on telling her I met her daughter after first abducting her."

But Gwen immediately looked up.

"Huh? No need for that. I’ll introduce you to my mom. We’ll all go together. I hear the dorms can fit three people."

Dark Elf paused mid-chew. "You’d do that?"

Gwen smiled. "Duh. You’re my best friend."

"... Cool."

Dark Elf muttered, turning back to her chips like they were suddenly the most interesting things in the universe.

A small silence followed.

Then Scott said:

"Damn... really wish I could come with you. But I’ve got stuff to do back at Overwatch HQ. Plus, my first modeling gig’s coming up."

Gwen lit up.

"Ooo, sounds fancy! Though I’ll probably miss it... midterm cramming and all."

Scott shrugged.

"Eh, it’s fine. It’s just my first gig. Probably no one’s even gonna show up."

Jake tilted his head. "Bro. You’re huge already. It’s for a big brand. People will show up."

"For real?"

Jake nodded. "Mhm."

Scott flopped backward onto the sofa like a ragdoll.

"I better not make a fool of myself..."

Brigid giggled like it was a stage play.

"LUDACRIS! As if my liege could be a fool! The day that happens is the day I lose my virginity to my dildo. Until then, it’s butthole only!"

Emma gently placed a hand on Scott’s chest, warm and steady.

"I’ve already cleared my schedule. Can’t wait to see my favorite fool in action."

Scott smiled back at her.

The rumble of a heavy-duty engine rolled through the Harper neighborhood like a war drum.

Seconds later, a horn blared obnoxiously from the driveway, loud enough to rattle the windows and make Emma drop her cookie mid-bite.

Everyone in the living room turned toward the door.

Gwen looked up from her laptop and blinked.

"Oop—yeah, that’s probably my mom!"

Onscreen, Rhinoman, Mr. Sphere, and Gadget Girl waved goodbye like proud uncles and aunties still stuck in another city — after all, they were still under orders from Scott to help Commissioner Lisbon control crime in Meteor City and investigate a few other things.

Gwen waved at them back with a bright smile.

"Okay, bye guys! I gotta go meet my mom!"

The video call ended with Gadget Girl telling her:

"Use the pink pepper spray, not the cheap one."

Gwen closed her laptop and slid it into her backpack, only to realize — everyone else was standing.

All of them. Smiling. Staring at her.

Everyone except Dark Elf, who was planted on the sofa with an open bag of cheesy chips, crunching away like she had no interest in human emotions.

Gwen blinked.

"Uhh... why’s everyone looking at me like that?"

Scott gave a casual wave.

"We just wanna help you pack up."

Gwen’s brows raised, but her smile was genuine.

"Aw, okay, alright!"

･･･

Ten minutes later, two large, sweaty truck drivers moved in and out of the Harper home, stacking boxes, bags, and then some truly bizarre extras onto the back of a huge moving truck.

Scott folded his arms as another bean bag chair, then floor lamp, then a portable disco speaker was carted out.

It didn’t look like they were just helping a student get ready for college—it looked more like they were moving an entire family into a new house in the suburbs.

"Uhm... is it just me, or is this a lot of stuff for college?"

Jake nodded solemnly. "Yup."

Gwen narrowed her eyes at both of them, hands planted firmly on her hips.

"Hmph! As if you two would know anything about what a lady needs to survive on campus. I’m an undergraduate, okay? Maybe if you ever make it to college, you’ll understand."

Scott gave her a slow side-eye.

"That sounded suspiciously like a humblebrag."

"Suspiciously?"

Jake repeated with eyebrows raised.

"Bro, that was a humblebrag."

Before they could say anything else, Gwen slapped her hands over her ears and started chanting...

"La la la la, can’t hear you!"

Scott sighed.

"This is why I don’t trust women with Pinterest accounts."

Jake nodded like a soldier who’d been through war.

"BASED! They’re always five pins away from building a spa in their dorm."

As the truck drivers gave a final thumbs-up, all her stuff loaded, the others began to wind down.

But Scott and Gwen? They weren’t quite finished.

Gwen was holding Scott’s hand. Tightly.

They stared at each other with a kind of teenage romance that could’ve given Hallmark executives a migraine.

Scott smirked.

"You sure you’re gonna survive without me there to distract you during your study nights?"

Gwen tilted her head, that signature nose-scrunch of hers making an appearance.

"Well~ with a boyfriend as rich, hot, and academically overwhelming as you, I’m practically jealous of myself. If you were a little more dependable, you’d be the perfect guy, but that’s a good thing, isn’t it?"

She winked at him.

"Wouldn’t want any unnecessary competitions..."

Scott chuckled.

"Hey now, I think I’m pretty dependable. A little."

She blinked flirtatiously.

"See? Progress. Now send me money weekly so I can order boba and flex on my broke dormmates."

Scott narrowed his eyes.

"Gwendolyn... are you becoming materialistic?"

She gasped with faux offense.

"Ooooh, you called me Gwendolyn. Am I in trouble now?"

Before he could retort, a voice sliced through the moment.

"GWEN!"

Both their heads turned like a synchronized sitcom.

Ken Mercer stood near the truck with his arms folded and a frown that looked tattooed to his face.

Scott raised an eyebrow. "Does Ken ever smile?"

Gwen whispered through a grin...

"Only when you’re not around."

Scott pouted. "Ouch. I’ve always liked Sunny more..."

Gwen instantly wrinkled her nose.

"Let’s not talk about Sunny."

Scott laughed. "Dude, she’s your sister!"

"Exactly..." Gwen deadpanned.

Scott wisely shut up.

She glanced up at him, eyes soft.

"I really wanna kiss you... but like... Ken’s watching."

Scott shrugged. "Let him. Risk it."

Gwen grinned. "Didn’t let me finish—Mom’s also coming."

And then, like an old boss fight you didn’t save for, Tess Mercer emerged from beind the truck, dressed in all-business attire with the face of a woman who just knew you left dishes in the sink.

Scott groaned under his breath. "Ohhh, brother..."

Tess marched up to them.

"Alright, Gwendolyn. Your smaller bags are in the car. Let’s go—we need to beat traffic in the East if we want to check in at Met U on time."

Gwen gave Scott one last lingering look before finally letting go of his hand. It was like slow-motion heartbreak in a low-budget indie film.

She walked away, leaving Scott and Tess standing awkwardly together.

Scott scratched his head. "Uh, Aunt Tess, I—"

She cut him off with a wave. "I don’t need you to say sorry, Scott. We’re past that. Gwen’s fine."

She glanced to her side and noticed Emma standing by with Jake and Brigid.

『That’s the lady I saw him with at the pharmacy... the one that’s brainwashing him. Sigh~ honestly...』

Her eyes lingered on Emma. Not friendly.

Then back to Scott.

"I just hope you know what you’re doing..."

She said, laying a hand on his shoulder.

Scott gave a small nod. "Yeah..."

She squeezed his shoulder slightly, then squinted.

"Wow. You’ve gotten beefy. What the hell? Were you always this ripped?"

Scott blinked. "Uh... I mean... I guess?"

From the side, Emma frowned and crossed her arms.

"Yeah, I don’t like the way she’s touching my man..."

Jake yawned. "You think too much, Miss Graves."

Emma scoffed. "Whatever..."

By the car, Gwen’s voice rang out.

"MOM, COME ON ALREADY!"

Tess snapped out of her nostalgic trance.

"Ohoho... Right. Youth."

She gave Scott a nostalgic, almost bittersweet smile.

"Look... I know nothing I say will suddenly make you go back to school. Or be the eager kid I used to count on when I flew out to New York... but just... visit your mom sometimes, okay? She’s still at the facility. And she asks about you."

Scott nodded, voice quieter now. "I’ll visit her."

Tess lingered for a second longer.

『And well... sometimes me too...』

Then she smiled again, said nothing, and turned away.

If only she could say that last thought.

『Some other time...』

She got into the car with Gwen, Ken, and Dark Elf, who had somehow managed to sneak two more bags of cheesy chips into her hoodie. The car engine revved up, and the truck followed. Gwen looked back one last time from the passenger seat and waved like her life depended on it.

Scott waved back.

Silence fell.

Then—

Thud.

Scott blinked as something soft bumped into his back.

Emma stood there, hands deep in the pocket of her hoodie, smiling up at him with that wickedly proud look in her eye.

"Don’t cry, big boy..."

Scott folded his arms and closed his eyes.

He could still picture Gwen’s cute face in his mind.

"As if. I’ll probably visit her next week."

Emma chuckled softly and nodded.

Scott gave her a side-eye.

"You know... you really look good in my hoodie."

Emma’s lips curved into something sly and sexy.

"I’m sure it’ll look even better... when you’re taking it off me in bed."

Scott smirked and laughed quietly. "Tch. Horn dog."

She just winked. "Woof."