In truth, Fubuki didn't have many cards to play.
Although she carried herself with the elegance of a noble young lady, her background was actually quite ordinary.
If not for her older sister being the Hero Association's ultimate weapon, the No. 2 S-Class Hero who earned a massive income, Fubuki would have been nothing more than the daughter of an average household.
Even then, she had long since left home and no longer lived with her sister, choosing instead to make a name for herself as a hero. However, she was only a B-Class Hero.
The compensation a B-Class Hero received was fairly modest. She had enough to live comfortably, but becoming wealthy was out of the question.
As for the Blizzard Group... although it sounded impressive as the Hero Association's largest faction, it was ultimately nothing more than a gathering of B-Class Heroes. Since they were all B-Class, they only received B-Class salaries.
Unlike large organizations, they had no other significant source of income. Their only real advantage was their numbers. Even their dedicated vehicle had been purchased with money everyone earned from part-time jobs, together with bounty rewards that Fubuki personally collected by capturing wanted criminals.
In other words, financially, Fubuki had absolutely no advantage over an S-Class Hero, much less compared to a world-famous diva like Sylvia, whose wealth was beyond comparison.
With money ruled out, she had no other leverage either.
Items? She owned only a few expensive pieces of jewelry she had bought herself.
Status? She was merely the leader of a B-Class Hero group.
Anything else? Having already left home, what did she possess that could possibly attract someone?
Her body? Setting aside whether Fubuki herself would ever agree to that, there was already a world-famous diva standing beside Fang Li. Compared to Sylvia, what advantage could any other woman possibly claim?
Only then did Fubuki realize something painfully: aside from the psychic powers she had been born with, she possessed no particular advantage over anyone else. Her income was only slightly better than that of an ordinary office worker.
She wasn't wealthy enough to spend extravagantly. Even her charm as a woman wasn't necessarily exceptional.
So, what exactly could she offer as payment in exchange for someone else's help?
"Your only real advantage..." Fang Li mercilessly struck at the weakness hidden deep within her heart. "...is that you have an older sister powerful enough to surpass every S-Class Hero." He looked at her calmly. "But that's the one advantage you refuse to accept, isn't it?"
Those sharp words pierced straight into Fubuki's heart. As unwilling as she was to admit it, Fang Li was right.
"I-I can offer something else," Biting her lip, Fubuki stared at him. "As long as it's something I'm capable of doing... you can ask for anything."
"Really?" Fang Li smiled faintly. "But if it's something you're capable of doing... what reason is there to think we can't do it ourselves?"
Fubuki's breathing hitched. He was right. If Fubuki could accomplish something, why wouldn't Fang Li be able to do the same?
He was an S-Class Hero, a genius whom the Hero Association had promoted directly upon joining. Compared to him, she was merely a coward who didn't even dare advance into A-Class.
Wasn't that the truth?
"And if it's something even we can't accomplish," Fang Li continued indifferently, "...then you probably can't do it either. For example, if I asked you to hunt a Dragon-level Mysterious Being... could you do it?"
Of course not. That was an opponent whom even S-Class Heroes weren't guaranteed to defeat.
"On the other hand," Fang Li spread his hands. "Your older sister could probably eliminate a Dragon-level Mysterious Being without much difficulty. In the end... aren't you still being or shadowed by your sister?"
Those words finally shattered the emotions Fubuki had been suppressing.
"I can't help it!" she shouted at Fang Li, venting every frustration she had ever felt. "My talent is lower than yours! You were all born with incredible gifts! For people like you, becoming an S-Class Hero is practically inevitable! But I don't have talent like yours!"
Perhaps she had wanted to say those words for a very long time. As they left her mouth, tears began welling up in her eyes.
"I know! I know that too!" she cried out, directing her emotions toward an invisible standard. "There are simply unfair realities in this world! No matter how hard you work... some things can never be changed! I've tried so hard to become stronger! But I'll never catch up to my sister! Because my talent will never equal hers! But that's not what I wanted!"
How many years had Fubuki devoted to reaching her current level? And yet, when her older sister had been only a child, without any formal training whatsoever, she had already possessed power greater than what Fubuki had spent years struggling to achieve.
"Our starting lines were never the same..." Fubuki hugged herself tightly, lowering her head, and shouted with everything she had. "I only wanted to prove myself!"
Her voice echoed throughout the villa's living room. The only response was silence.
Fang Li said nothing. Believing that further words were pointless, he simply continued wiping Bo Xie.
Only Sylvia had been watching Fubuki the entire time. At last, she slowly stood up and walked over. Then, with gentle yet unwavering movements, she lifted Fubuki's lowered head.
Fubuki's reddened eyes met Sylvia's. Looking directly into them, Sylvia quietly began speaking.
"There was once someone... whom I wanted to defeat more than anyone else. She was incredibly strong. She was known as one of the strongest Stregas in history. The first time I fought her, I realized she wasn't actually good at combat. In fact, fighting itself was difficult for her. But despite that... her power was overwhelming. Even without any training, she was strong enough to defeat every challenger. Myself included. I suppose... that's simply the difference that talent can make."
Then Sylvia smiled warmly at the stunned Fubuki.
"But, Fubuki, I still wanted to challenge her again. Because... I'm simply the kind of person who refuses to admit defeat."
Helping the speechless Fubuki to her feet, Sylvia continued. "So don't blame Fang Li for speaking so harshly. You keep saying you've worked hard... but deep down, you've already convinced yourself that you lost because of talent. You think there's nothing you can do about talent. In other words... you've already given up in your heart. And yet, you're still pursuing victory. That's nothing more than deceiving yourself. If you truly want to catch up to your older sister, the first thing you need to change... is yourself. I believe that."
Sylvia's words left Fubuki's eyes red with tears, but she remained silent. Sylvia simply smiled gently and softly patted her shoulder.
Nearby, Fang Li glanced at the two of them before quietly looking away again. At the corner of his lips, a faint, almost imperceptible smile appeared.
(End Of This Chapter)
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