A Guide to Dating in the Mortal World [Western Crossover]

[This novel will go premium on February 4, with a 10,000-character update then. Thanks for your support~] Imara Reed is the eldest daughter in her family. Her younger brother has been a little genius since childhood. With her strong instinct to protect others, Imara has always been her brother's guardian angel. As they grew up, Imara became a forensic pathologist by a fortunate twist of fate, while her brother's outstanding grades and sharp mind earned him a job with the FBI. At the request of a former mentor, Imara came to work in Bludhaven. She joined the force on the strength of her impressive résumé, only to realize that Bludhaven was packed with talented people. Later, Imara got a boyfriend: an upright cop who worked in Bludhaven. A boyfriend with an amazing body and an amazing personality. They loved each other, so she forgave him for standing her up five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times; for dodging discussions about his family five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times; and for finding ways to avoid her visiting brother five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten times… But when the guy took a call for the thirteenth time in the middle of a perfect late-night moment, turned pale, and immediately left, Imara had had enough. So on a sunny day off, Imara invited her boyfriend out. As he looked utterly bereft, she said very seriously: “Darling, please, and I mean please, tell me the truth…” “Imara, I swear I haven't been cheating on you,” her boyfriend said anxiously. “Are you gay?” Imara asked at the same time. “Huh?” Her innocent boyfriend stared at her, dumbfounded, his expression slowly falling apart. Imara counted off on her fingers: “I keep seeing messages from different men's names on your phone, but they're encrypted.” “You cancel half of our ten dates, and three times you were called away by strange men.” “More men than women hit on you when we're walking down the street.” “Ever since you found out my brother works at the BAU, you always find a way to avoid him when he visits.” Even the waitress passing by gave him the look reserved for a total jerk. “No, no, no, no, no!!!” Her boyfriend shook his head frantically and started trying to defend himself. Imara took a leisurely sip of juice and politely declined the waitress's kind offer of a free refill, then watched with amusement as her boyfriend's explanations grew increasingly frantic and even started contradicting each other. Well, she would never admit that a month into their relationship, she'd realized the vigilante who went out to fight crime in the city at night had a butt just like her boyfriend's. And she'd seen someone's black-and-blue uniform piled up by the washing machine in his apartment. Hmph. Serves him right! Pairing: Bludhaven's vigilante with the amazing butt. No breaking them up. At heart, it's a sweet romance about two little suns finding their way to each other. It doesn't deal much with major events in the DC or Marvel universes. Also known as: “My Boyfriend Is the Neighboring Billionaire's Kid” “How I, with Superhuman Strength, Saved You, Also with Superhuman Strength” “The Forensic Pathologist with an Off-the-Charts Power Level and the Officer with Off-the-Charts Flexibility” “Let the Gloomy Bat-Family Experience the Dazzling Power of Two Little Suns” This story references many related crime-solving TV shows. Since the original titles can't be mentioned in the blurb, see the notes after Chapter One for details. These include, but are not limited to, Bones, Quantico's behavioral science unit, and the Las Vegas Crime Lab. Those are nicknames I made up, not the shows' actual titles. Reader's Guide 1. This is a romance, with the big blue bird as the pairing. There will be no author-created danmei, yuri, or other sexual-orientation or group-pairing plots. However, I won't avoid the canon pairings from the original works, since this is a derivative story. Show titles are listed in the notes after Chapter One. If that doesn't work for you, please stop reading in time! 2. There will be original cases, but the story won't deal much with major superhero events. Most of the worldbuilding is scientific, and it leans toward the scientific side. I'm an arts graduate with no relevant medical background, but I'll do my best to look things up and consult medical friends. Feel free to point out any problems. I'll fix what I can, and for anything that can't be changed, please treat it as authorial license (bowing). 3. A wholesome little story about two people falling in love. The author of sweet romances promises! 4. The protagonist has some memories from a past life, but due to the influence of the world's will and time, she basically doesn't remember superheroes' real identities. At most, when she sees a superhero in the news, she might think, “Oh, that's a good person,” or “That guy seems like an antihero.” Aside from that, she's essentially a native of this world. This setup is only there to help the heroine let down her guard and date her boyfriend, and to explain how she skipped a few grades as a child. 5. Fanfiction inevitably involves some degree of OOC. Everyone has their own tastes, so if you're not enjoying the story, please stop reading in time~ Of course, you're welcome to point out any issues. The author is happy to accept practical suggestions and make corrections. My next upcoming story is “I Told You This Is a Sniper [Western Crossover].” Here's the blurb. Please add it to your collection! #Original title: “It's a Coffee Shop, Not an Intelligence Agency [Western Crossover]” #Also known as “How Do I Save You in a High-Risk Western World with a Shooter Game System?” #“The Coffee Shop Owner Wants to Lie Flat” #“Please, Just Let Me Give Up” #“What's Wrong with Wanting to Open a Cat Café?” - Pulei never imagined that she would transmigrate while sitting on a train and playing on her phone. Wait a minute! She was on a green-skin train! How does going through a tunnel suddenly turn it into a subway? Does that make any sense?!! Still holding a phone that said it was out of service, Pulei was bewildered and on the verge of a breakdown. Known: She had transmigrated. Good news: Her transmigration golden finger had arrived. It was the game System she was playing. Bad news: Her game account wasn't linked, and her balance was zero. Good news: Completing missions earned currency rewards. Bad news: It was a shooter game, and Pulei had never handled anything gun-like in her life besides a water pistol. … With nothing left to lose, Pulei decided to make the best of things. She set herself a modest goal: Work hard so she wouldn't have to sleep on the street! … After enduring hardship and countless trials, Pulei finally graduated from the tutorial. She became a sniper player in a game more suited to a flower-growing baby. (Chin held high.) Faced with Pulei's brazen confidence, a certain red-hooded antihero laughed in disbelief. “You call yourself a sniper? Look at your weapon. What does it have to do with sniping?” “Exactly! Look, boss: it's got a scope, fires one shot at a time, has long range, and can take someone out in one hit. Obviously, it's a sniper rifle!” He looked at Pulei's sincere expression, then at the cannon in her hands, with a shell as thick as his wrist. The red-hooded antihero was speechless. - Years later, having achieved her goal, Pulei rested her chin on one hand and pondered while petting a cat. How had she, who had only wanted to avoid sleeping on the street, ended up here? Halfway through her thoughts, she had to lean over and call out to the people trying to fish for information from her barista, whose only unremarkable feature was his muscles: “Mr. Wayne over there! My latte is just a latte, not some weird code!” “Mr. Drake! An Americano isn't one either! And neither is an espresso!! A cappuccino is just an ordinary drink! Don't order fifty cups at once!” “And Ms. Romanoff over there! Please stop using your charms on my staff!” - Basically, it's a story about an innocent passerby who just wants to be a couch potato, goes through a series of growing pains, then tries to lie flat, gets found out, and struggles to refuse (?). - [Reader Advisory] 1. No pairing. It's probably going to be a slice-of-life story. 2. The game uses common genre conventions and was inspired by battle royale games, but it's been changed so much it's almost unrecognizable. Please don't get hung up on it~ 3. Since it's based on a shooter game, the heroine has no no-kill rule. Please think carefully before reading if that's a dealbreaker. 4. Some game crossovers will appear! There'll be masked-character kinks and other odd kinks, but everyone is best friends (absolutely certain). Also, expect some characters to come back from the dead! Theme: Always stay positive, be cautious with others, but don't hesitate to show kindness.