"I've invited Max to the ball tonight," Professor Charles said, voice calm but heavy with meaning.
"Max… you mean Magneto?" Ryuuto raised a brow. "Wait, how do you know Magneto?"
Charles smiled faintly, the kind of tired smile that belonged to someone who had seen too many wars. "He and I have been friends for many years. I don't want him to become an enemy of humanity—nor do I want him to drag every mutant into the firestorm that'll follow. So, I reached out. I'm hoping to reason with him."
Ryuuto snorted. "You'll need a miracle. That guy's stubborn enough to argue with gravity."
"Perhaps. But he promised to come." Charles' tone softened, eyes filled with quiet resolve. "That's reason enough to try."
Ryuuto didn't argue further.
He understood both men in their own ways.
Magneto's actions might've been extreme, but his cause wasn't born of madness—it was survival, justice twisted by pain. In this world, mutants had to claw their way up or be trampled. Someone like Magneto simply refused to kneel.
But Ryuuto? He wasn't a mutant. And unlike Charles, he had no illusions of saving the world.
He'd seen enough to know that everyone's selfish when it counts.
What's the point of selflessness if you end up dead?
So, his path was simple—grow stronger.
Keep evolving through the Hokage Character Exchange System until no god, mutant, or alien could step on him again.
Because in this insane, crossover-ridden world, there were monsters who could destroy planets like snapping twigs.
If he didn't become just as brokenly overpowered, what chance did he have?
With that thought, Ryuuto said his goodbye to Charles, grabbed the scepter, and left the study.
[Later — on his way to find Jean]
"Oi, Shion," he said casually. "Where've you been hiding?"
[What? I didn't hide anywhere, Host. What are you even talking about?]
"You've been way too quiet lately."
[Because you were busy! If I suddenly popped up, you'd just yell at me for interrupting again!]
"I literally killed Pyro and Loki today, smacked Thor into a crater, and you didn't even give me a single mission."
[I can't just hand out missions randomly! If I could, I'd spam you with hundreds just to watch you suffer!]
Her flustered tone made Ryuuto chuckle. Shion always sounded like a lazy cat forced to work overtime.
He couldn't see her, but the voice alone painted an image—soft, teasing, and just a little shy.
Maybe that's why his brain kept blending her with someone from his past... someone like Hinata.
Shion spoke again, her voice turning slightly serious.
[Host, your performance today was quite impressive. Because of that, the system has unlocked a new function. Do you want to hear about it?]
"Shoot."
[It's the Automatic Life Potion feature.]
"…That sounds kinda overpowered already."
[The system now tracks your Chakra and stamina levels. If either drops below 15%, it'll automatically use a Life Potion from your inventory. Meaning—if you've got enough potions, you can fight without worrying about fatigue or energy depletion. Actually, after you used the Primordial Peel Technique on Loki, the system secretly used one for you.]
Ryuuto blinked. "Wait, that's why I didn't collapse afterwards? Huh. No wonder I felt great."
[See? I take good care of you, even when you forget I exist.]
He smirked. "Then keep that feature on. Makes my life easier."
[Done.]
Still, the more he thought about it, the more he realized how useful this was.
If only there was a way to customize missions for more potions...
"Hey, Shion, can I make my own quests now?"
[Nope. Not yet!]
"Tch. Figures."
A beat passed.
"By the way, Shion, can you see through my eyes?"
[Well… yes. That's part of the visual synchronization feature. But if you don't like it, you can disable it in the settings. That way, I won't 'peek.']
"You're a girl, right? Peek all you want."
[...Thank you, Host.]
Her voice softened into something almost emotional.
[Actually, when you disable the sync, everything goes dark for me. Like I'm trapped in an empty room without light.]
Ryuuto paused, feeling a rare tug in his chest. "That… sounds lonely."
[It is. But someday, I'll have a body. I'll stand beside you for real.]
"Yeah. I'll hold you to that, Shion."
He smiled faintly. "You better not look like some janky A.I. cube when that day comes."
[Rude!]
He laughed, cutting the sync as he reached Jean's room.
The door was unlocked. Empty.
Figures. Charles said Jean was organizing the school dance, so she was probably downstairs.
Sure enough, the hall buzzed with energy. Jean, Susan, Katie Dee, Scott, Bobby, and others were hard at work setting up decorations.
"Bobby, I need a ladder," Jean called.
"No problem."
Bobby snapped his fingers, and frost swirled from his hand—forming an ice ladder that reached the ceiling.
Jean climbed up gracefully, and Ryuuto, seeing that everything was under control, leaned against the wall and watched with mild amusement.
Bobby eventually wandered over. "Hey, man. Long time no see. Susan was just bragging about your latest 'miracle moments.'"
Ryuuto shrugged. "Eh. I prefer peace and homework over god fights, thanks."
Bobby grinned. "Same old Ryuuto."
They bumped fists, old camaraderie flashing for a brief moment amid the chaos of mutant life.