[The upcoming story about the insect queen is now open for preorders. Comments on this story were just enabled on 2025.08.05. Come visit my author page, everyone~]
[Your mission is to--]
[Win the favor of creatures stronger than you.]
[The higher their favorability, the stronger the skills you gain from them.]
Listening to the System bound to him go on and on,
Cicero remained expressionless.
"So, after winning the favor of a cat and a fish, I still have to win over a giant humanoid bat, a paragon of morality, a handsome little spider... and other creatures?"
[You're just making friends,] the System reassured him. [As long as you don't max out their favorability, you'll be safe.]
Cicero understood.
At first, Cicero only wanted to coast through his missions.
But all his targets were beautiful, strong, and tragic.
Softhearted as he was, he couldn't help rescuing them like a hero. As they spent time together, their favorability naturally rose.
The way they looked at him grew increasingly strange.
Cicero didn't notice a thing.
Later, an accident led Cicero to portray himself as the villainous boss.
At an internal meeting, the superheroes burst through the wall.
Superheroes: ...
He fled in a panic.
"Who do you even like?"
Cicero fell silent. "We're just friends."
Purehearted mermaid/humanoid bat/paragon of morality/handsome spider/...: Hmph.
In private, he gritted his teeth and questioned the System.
"You never told me that favorability over 60 counts as love!"
System: [You never asked :)]
PS:
A mountain of headcanons, chaotic timeline.
The original works belong to everyone; the out-of-character portrayals belong to me.
The romance is a slow burn. How slow? The pairing and Bat's feelings aren't confirmed until the end. Yes, the pairing is Bruce.
I lost control of the pacing in the middle and later sections, so it gets a little strange. I won't accept writing advice from people who just want to tell me my writing is bad. I know my own shortcomings, so please don't hit me where it hurts, sob.
This is my first story, and it veered off course a little later on. Thank you all for being understanding.
Here's another ongoing story from my author page~
[Western Crossover] As an Insect, I Lured the Superheroes
Gabriel is gentle and reserved, and has always been a nobody at school.
On the day he comes of age, he gains powers and a System that can summon insects.
At the same time,
he seems to start giving off a scent that he can't smell himself.
"You smell so good."
His classmates and the superheroes he meets say it in unison.
But their gazes are restrained and controlled,
so the person giving off the scent doesn't notice anything amiss.
Until Gabriel runs into the supervillains.
Seeing the aggression in their eyes and movements, Gabriel can't help backing away and summoning the insects from his System.
The insects, far away in a distant star system, answer the call. They raise their claws against the ignorant humans coveting their queen.
Later, Gabriel learns from the higher-ranking insects
that the insect queen's body is always fragile. That's why she gives off pheromones that make others want to protect her while luring high-quality males to guard her, only to devour them without mercy once they're no longer useful.
But in his case--
She only lures them.
And here's another upcoming story of the same type from my author page~
Upcoming story 1:
[Western Crossover] The Escape of the God of Love, Desire, and Beauty
Who knows how many years after Ragnarok, Aphrodite, god of love, desire, and beauty, awakens, nourished by humanity's undying desires.
But the world rejects him when he wakes, leaving him so weak that he's almost entirely lost his divine power.
Though he feeds on love and desire, he has a wicked personality, poor morals, and no regard for ethics. He's fickle, too.
One day, he discovers that the love and desire some extraordinary beings from different timelines give him isn't some cheap, disposable thing. What's more, it can even slowly help the world accept him.
So he begins to disguise himself.
*
"You lying little trickster."
"My..."
Warm breath brushes his ear as the man gripping his throat laughs softly and says the divine name that means bondage. The one calling himself Flodi hears him say, "Aphrodite."
"You can't escape."
He thought he could easily shake them off, but at last, he feels afraid.
A few reading notes:
This is my take on the Greek god of love, desire, and beauty. His charm is so powerful it resembles a kind of mental pollution. Due to the premise, the characters will inevitably be somewhat out of character.
Warning: May contain non-consensual oral scenes and other coercive content. The superheroes who appear will lean toward their darker multiverse versions: Superman Prime One Million or Injustice Superman, Iron Man from the Dark Multiverse, the Batman Who Laughs (they'll only lean this way, not actually become those versions!), Venomized Spider-Man, and even Captain Hydra.
[Western Crossover] A Record of Gotham's Fairytale-Prince Harem
*
Dragon's blood pours over him, and Leon instinctively shuts his eyes.
When he opens them again, instead of returning to his kingdom with the princess to be cheered by his subjects, he finds himself in a completely unfamiliar world.
Unfamiliar clothes, unfamiliar vehicles, and unfamiliar writing he can somehow read.
A large metal sign reading "Welcome to Gotham" stands ahead.
The road before him is uncertain, and he has no idea where the way home lies.
Everything around him is bewildering, except for the malice lurking in the shadows, which seems eternal and unchanging.
"A lion's heart never falters; glory endures forever."
His innate sense of justice won't let him turn a blind eye to the chaos in this city.
Golden light gathers in Leon's eyes as he draws his sword and charges at the Joker, who is causing an uproar not far away.
*
"Can someone tell me why saving a cat made the whole city talk about you?"
"Why did the holy light behind you even briefly reform the Joker?"
"Why does random background music play as soon as you show up?"
"Seriously, why not run for mayor of Gotham?"
"Because I'm a prince." Leon wipes his sword and answers sincerely. "That's a basic princely skill."
"You mean your irresistible true-love aura, unreasonable luck, invincible white horse, indestructible armor, smile that can repair steel parts, and requests for help no one can refuse... all that?"
Theme: Together with ****************.
When Batman and Cat are together, it always feels like an old cow eating young grass.
A cat's tail... When the tail is out... What does the pants look like (just out of curiosity)
Me in the previous chapter: cats show kindness, fish hate cats, cats are good and fish are bad
This chapter: Cat drools at fish
Me: Hmm... Ah... Why isn't that a sign of goodwill...
What bad things can cats do? Cats are good!
It feels like Ah Fu said the lines from Red Robin
Black Cat: Sanhua is so good
So every time I see Robin as a young Jason, I am very happy, which means that there is another small world where Jason does not experience the shadow of death.
The plot setting is okay, and the first half is good.
But after reading the whole article in the past few days, I feel that there are some problems.
First of all, the emotional lines are a bit blunt, without much foreshadowing and logic, and they directly enter the love stage. Especially in the final choice, I personally feel that there is not enough description, but the sudden decision makes people feel abrupt. And the content in the essay can actually be written into the text as a reason.
Secondly, there are still some holes in the story that have not been filled in. For example, the identity of the elderly blond man was not revealed in the end, and his relationship with Orm was not made clear to him, and he did not go to Atlantis.
The third is that after reading the whole story, I felt that the ending was a bit rushed. Whether it was the relationship choice or the plot, it felt like it ended abruptly compared to the previous ones, especially when there were many holes left unfilled. (This point is actually similar to not filling in the pit, and it can also be regarded as a point)
Finally, the extras after the end of the main text can actually be used to fill in the pits. However, on the basis that there are already many pitfalls, the extras write about things that are completely irrelevant to the main text, and they do not deepen or further analyze the relationship with B. It is a bit confusing, so it is a bit uncomfortable to watch the extras. I feel that there is nothing worth watching in this part.
Cat: flinging hair
Mermaid (clean version): (sand is thrown away by Cat again) Okay, I can clean it up again.
Good guys, cats and cats will become conjugated wives from now on
I Survived a Shipwreck and Became a Fan of All Kinds of Animals
Decent Extra
Western Fantasy Alchemy: Did the Player Become a God Today?
[Western Crossover] The Fairy-Tale Prince of Gotham: A Record of Being Adored by All
[Western Crossover] The Bug Queen's Guide to Luring Superheroes
When Batman and Cat are together, it always feels like an old cow eating young grass.
A cat's tail... When the tail is out... What does the pants look like (just out of curiosity)
Me in the previous chapter: cats show kindness, fish hate cats, cats are good and fish are bad This chapter: Cat drools at fish Me: Hmm... Ah... Why isn't that a sign of goodwill...
What bad things can cats do? Cats are good!
It feels like Ah Fu said the lines from Red Robin
Black Cat: Sanhua is so good
So every time I see Robin as a young Jason, I am very happy, which means that there is another small world where Jason does not experience the shadow of death.
The plot setting is okay, and the first half is good. But after reading the whole article in the past few days, I feel that there are some problems. First of all, the emotional lines are a bit blunt, without much foreshadowing and logic, and they directly enter the love stage. Especially in the final choice, I personally feel that there is not enough description, but the sudden decision makes people feel abrupt. And the content in the essay can actually be written into the text as a reason. Secondly, there are still some holes in the story that have not been filled in. For example, the identity of the elderly blond man was not revealed in the end, and his relationship with Orm was not made clear to him, and he did not go to Atlantis. The third is that after reading the whole story, I felt that the ending was a bit rushed. Whether it was the relationship choice or the plot, it felt like it ended abruptly compared to the previous ones, especially when there were many holes left unfilled. (This point is actually similar to not filling in the pit, and it can also be regarded as a point) Finally, the extras after the end of the main text can actually be used to fill in the pits. However, on the basis that there are already many pitfalls, the extras write about things that are completely irrelevant to the main text, and they do not deepen or further analyze the relationship with B. It is a bit confusing, so it is a bit uncomfortable to watch the extras. I feel that there is nothing worth watching in this part.
Cat: flinging hair Mermaid (clean version): (sand is thrown away by Cat again) Okay, I can clean it up again.
Good guys, cats and cats will become conjugated wives from now on