Forty thousand feet above sea level has a way of making someone feel small. However, inside the quiet and luxurious cabin of the Gulfstream G550, that feeling of being "small" was masked by the comfort of Italian leather seats and a glass of Diet Coke served in a Baccarat crystal glass.
Elly stared at the expanse of white clouds outside the oval window. The flight from New York to Los Angeles took about six hours. For Eleanor Stane's body, which was used to crossing time zones like ordinary people cross the street, this was nothing. But for Elly's soul (the homebody girl who rarely traveled far), boredom began to creep in after the second hour.
She had finished flipping through the latest issue of Vogue (whose cover featured a skinny model that made her insecure), and she didn't dare turn on the plane's television for fear of seeing news about her husband on the business channel.
'System,' she called out in her mind, her eyes still fixed outside the window.
[Present, Host! (o^▽^o) Are you lonely? Need someone to talk to?]
'Not really,' Elly thought flatly. 'I'm just curious. Earlier you showed Tony's location. Can that feature be used for other people?'
[Of course! The "Affection Radar" feature allows the Host to track the location of key targets and see a summary of their current activities. However, to maintain privacy and the mystery of life, this feature is limited to one check per target per day!]
'Affection Radar? What a terrible name,' Elly criticized. 'Check Obadiah.'
A small holographic screen appeared on her lap, invisible to the flight attendant who was busy arranging fruit in the galley.
[Scanning Target: Obadiah Stane...]
[Location: Main Conference Room, Stark Industries Tower, New York.]
[Activity Status: Leading Board of Directors Meeting. Target Boredom Level: 80%. Current Evil Level: 15% (Only manipulating quarterly financial reports, no murder plans today).]
Elly sighed in relief. 'Thank goodness. At least he's busy scamming investors, not assembling killer robots.'
Her curiosity continued. 'What about Ezekiel? That kid... what is he doing?'
The screen flickered, displaying the silhouette profile of a skinny young man.
[Scanning Target: Ezekiel Stane...]
[Location: Private Laboratory (Stane Mansion Basement), New York.]
[Activity Status: "Relaxing".]
[Detail: Experimenting with volatile chemical compounds while listening to classical music. Note: There is a 30% chance of a small explosion in the next hour.]
'He calls that relaxing?' Elly massaged the bridge of her high nose. 'That kid really needs a normal hobby. Playing online games or something. Why must his hobbies potentially destroy property?'
Elly leaned her head back against the seat rest. This feature is useful, she thought. At least she could know when to avoid Obadiah or when to evacuate the house if Ezekiel was acting up.
'Hey, System,' she asked again. 'If you can know their location in real-time, can you do other things? Like... hacking CCTV in Obadiah's room? Or bugging his phone? I need proof of his crimes so Tony won't have to bother almost dying to prove it later.'
The holographic screen displayed a large red cross icon.
[Access Denied! (＞﹏＜)]
[The Magical Girl System is designed to spread Love, Justice, and Peace through pure magical power! We are not JARVIS or a cyber spy program. Intervention in real-world technology is strictly prohibited, except in Special Emergency Situations (like when the Host was locked in the closet this morning).]
Elly snorted roughly, causing the flight attendant to look over briefly before returning to work.
'Useless thing,' she cursed silently. 'You can give me an anti-gravity frilly dress, but can't hack a single camera? In this tech-filled MCU world, you are seriously outdated.'
[Do not underestimate the power of love, Host! Magic has ways that cannot be understood by binary logic!]
'Yeah, yeah, whatever,' Elly cut in. She remembered the notification that appeared after dinner last night. 'By the way, about the mission rewards... what is the use of those 'Affection Points'? Can they be exchanged for cash? If so, I want that.'
[So materialistic! (¬_¬ ) But unfortunately not. Affection Points are exclusive currency for shopping at the System Shop!]
A new menu opened. This time it looked like a cheerfully colorful online shopping catalog. There were rows of items with strange names and glittering icons.
Elly squinted, reading the list of items for sale.
• Transparent Phone (Communicate with System without speaking): 500 Points.
• Tracking Lipstick (Target kissed can be tracked for 24 hours): 1,000 Points.
• "Beauty Sleep" Pill (Sleeping 1 hour feels like 8 hours): 300 Points/pill.
• Guidebook: How to Tame a Villain (Beginner Edition): 5,000 Points.
• Passive Skill: Motherly Aura (Increases child obedience by 20%): 10,000 Points.
• Magic Wand Upgrade Level 2: 50,000 Points.
Elly's eyes bulged looking at those numbers. She glanced at her point balance in the top right corner of the screen.
[Your Balance: 50 Points.]
'What the hell is this?!' she screamed internally. 'These prices make no sense! Ten thousand points for a passive skill? What do you think I am, a point factory?!'
[Prices are adjusted to the inflation level of this world's difficulty, Host! The harder the world, the more expensive the items. Good luck saving up! ᕙ( • ̀ ᗜ • ́ )ᕗ]
'Capitalist bastard,' Elly hissed vengefully. 'This is extortion. Even Hermes isn't this expensive if converted with my effort. Do you know how hard it is to have dinner with Obadiah? I risked my life for these measly 50 points, and you sell a guidebook for five thousand?!'
Truly ironic. Eleanor Stane, wife of one of the biggest capitalists in the arms industry, a woman who held shares in a company turning the wheels of the war economy, was now complaining about virtual items being too expensive. Karma indeed had a strange sense of humor.
Elly closed the shop screen in annoyance. She couldn't bear to look at it anymore. It felt like an unemployed person looking at a Ferrari showroom window.
The plane landed at Van Nuys Airport, Los Angeles, just as the sun began to lean west, bathing the city in that signature Californian golden light.
As soon as the plane door opened, warm and dry air greeted her. Unlike the cold and busy New York, Los Angeles felt more relaxed but artificial.
A long white limousine was already waiting on the runway. A neatly uniformed chauffeur opened the door.
"Welcome to California, Mrs. Stane," he greeted warmly.
"Thank you, James," Elly replied, reading the name on the man's nametag because she had no specific memory of the LA branch chauffeur.
"Are we heading straight to Malibu, Madam?"
Elly shook her head slowly while getting into the cool car. "No. To the house in Beverly Hills first. I need to rest before... visiting my nephew tomorrow."
"Very well, Madam."
The limousine glided through the legendary LA traffic. Elly just stared blankly out the window, looking at the rows of towering palm trees. Eleanor's body was indeed strong. She felt no significant jet lag or aches. But Elly's mental state (a young soul who had just undergone a reality transplant) had reached its limit.
She was tired of pretending. She was tired of having to sit up straight, maintain her facial expression, and speak with measured intonation. She wanted to release this mental corset for just a moment.
An hour later, the car entered the majestic wrought iron gates of the Beverly Park area. The Stane vacation home here was modern Mediterranean style, with clean white walls, red tiled roof, and an infinity pool facing directly towards the city view below.
Unlike the gloomy New York mansion full of dark history, this house was bright, open, and modern. There were no shadows of Obadiah here. The man rarely visited LA unless there was urgent business with Tony.
"Madam, your room has been prepared," said the head butler of the house as Elly entered the spacious marble foyer.
"Thank you. Do not disturb me until tomorrow morning. I do not want to receive calls from anyone, including from New York," Elly ordered firmly.
"Understood, Madam."
Elly dragged her feet up the stairs to the master bedroom. As soon as the door closed, she did what she had been holding back since the plane. She kicked off her stiletto shoes, letting them fly in random directions. She took off her glasses, threw her handbag onto the sofa, and threw herself onto the soft mattress face down.
"Ahhhh..." she groaned long. Her face was buried in a lavender-scented pillow. "Heaven. This is heaven. Rich people's beds are truly different."
She rolled onto her back, staring at the ceiling. For the first time in the last 24 hours, she felt a little relaxed. No Obadiah. No Ezekiel. No Tony Stark (yet). Just her, a soft mattress, and a plan to order room service (maybe a wagyu burger) and then sleep for twelve hours.
Ding!
That sound.
Elly's eyes flew open. Her relaxation evaporated instantly, replaced by a thick sense of foreboding.
[Daily Mission (Follow-up) Detected!]
"Oh, no. Not now," Elly whimpered. "I'm on leave! The System needs working hours too, right?"
[Crime never sleeps, and Beauty never takes a holiday! (★^O^★)]
The holographic screen appeared, displaying text that made Elly's blood boil.
[Mission: Documentation of Magical Girl Charm!]
[Description: As an idol of love and justice, the Host must document her beauty to boost self-confidence! The Fan (System) wants to see the Host's cheerful face!]
[Target: Take 5 Selfie Photos with different "Cute/Kawaii" Poses.]
[Reward: 20 Affection Points.]
[Failure Penalty: "Baby Shark" song alarm will ring inside the Host's head for 5 hours non-stop.]
"What?!" Elly sat up, her hair messy. "Baby Shark?! That song hasn't even been released in 2007! You violated the laws of time causality just to torture me?!"
[The System transcends space and time! Please take the photos within 15 minutes, or the concert begins! ♪ doo doo doo doo doo doo ♪]
"God... just kill me again..."
Elly crawled off the bed feeling like she wanted to cry. She dragged her steps to the large vanity table in the corner of the room. There was Eleanor's latest edition Blackberry phone. Luckily, the phone had a camera, although the quality was definitely grainy compared to the iPhone 15 in her previous life.
She turned on the camera, then looked at the mirror.
The face staring back at her was Eleanor Stane's face. Cold. Haughty. Sharp. The face of a woman who could fire five hundred employees without blinking. A face suitable for holding a glass of poisoned wine, not for doing aegyo.
"This is impossible," she mumbled. "This face has factory settings of 'God Level Bitchiness'. How can it be cute?"
[Time is ticking, Host! 13 minutes left!]
Elly growled. She lifted her phone, aiming it at the mirror.
"Okay. Cute. Kawaii. Think kittens. Think bunnies."
She tried to smile widely. The result on the screen looked terrifying. She looked like a career woman version of the Joker having a nervous breakdown.
[System Analysis: Too scary! That is not a cute smile, that is a serial killer smile! Rejected! (×_×)]
"Damn it!" Elly cursed. She tried again.
This time she tried a peace sign pose (two fingers forming a V). She tilted her head slightly, trying to soften her gaze.
Click.
[System Analysis: Too stiff! You look like a politician forced to take a photo with young voters. Not flexible enough! Rejected!]
"Good grief! Why is this so hard?!" Elly started getting frustrated. She messed up her hair to look more messy look, hoping it would help.
She tried the "Toothache" pose (holding her cheek with one hand). She pursed her lips slightly, the legendary duck face pose.
Click.
[System Analysis: Those lips... please don't do that again. You look like an angry pufferfish. Rejected!]
Elly threw her phone onto the sofa, then picked it up again in panic remembering the Baby Shark threat.
"System, what is your standard of cute anyway?! I am a 40-year-old woman! My facial bones are firm! I don't have chubby cheeks anymore!"
[Release your "Inner Child", Host! Imagine you are a 16-year-old anime girl in love! Forget your dignity! Dignity cannot buy items in the System Shop!]
"Dignity indeed doesn't sell," Elly mumbled bitterly.
She took a deep breath. She looked at the mirror, trying to forget that she was Mrs. Stane. She tried to remember her college days, when she and her friends took stupid photos in mall photoboxes.
She raised both hands, clenching her fists beside her cheeks like a cat pose (Neko pose). She widened her eyes to look rounder, and forced a small shy smile.
"For points. For not hearing Baby Shark," she chanted.
Click.
[System Analysis: Not bad! But the eyes lack sparkle! There is still an aura of wanting to kill people in there! One more!]
Elly groaned. She tried another pose. She touched her index finger to her lips, tilted her head, and lifted one leg backward (though not visible on camera).
Click.
[System Analysis: Accepted! 1/5. Continue!]
And so began the most torturous photoshoot session in Eleanor Stane's life.
For the next ten minutes, the luxurious room in Beverly Hills became a silent witness to the collapse of a socialite's dignity. Elly tried the "Flower" pose (hands cupping chin), the "Spoiled Pout" pose (which looked more like she was holding back nausea), and the "Winking One Eye" pose (which failed totally because she looked like she was having a mild stroke instead).
"Come on, one more. Just one more," Elly panted, as if she had just run a marathon. Cold sweat drenched her temples. This was more exhausting than her thesis defense.
The last pose. The ultimate pose.
Elly made a heart shape with both hands on her cheeks (Cheek Heart). She forced her right eye shut, and smiled as widely as possible until her cheeks hurt.
Click.
Silence for a moment. Elly held her breath, waiting for the judge's verdict.
[System Analysis: ...]
[Very Cute! (♡ >ω< ♡) Kawaii Energy detected! Mission Complete!]
[Reward: 20 Affection Points have been added to balance.]
Elly dropped her phone onto the vanity table. She collapsed onto the carpet floor, spreading her arms and legs wide.
"I... I have sold my soul," she whispered to the room's ceiling. "For twenty points... I did a cheek heart pose with this Auntie face."
She felt dirty. She felt humiliated.
But then, another notification appeared.
[Your Balance: 70 Points. Keep it up, Host! Only need 230 more points to buy "Beauty Sleep" Pill! The journey is still long!]
Elly laughed. A dry and hollow laugh.
"Sleep," she said, getting up with her last remaining energy. She didn't even bother changing into pajamas. She crawled onto the bed, pulling the blanket up to cover her head.
"Tomorrow I'm going to Tony's house," she mumbled under the blanket. "Hopefully meeting Iron Man can heal this mental trauma. If not... I will really demand compensation from the universe."
Outside, the sun had set completely. The lights of Los Angeles began to turn on, twinkling like stars fallen to earth. And in one of the most luxurious houses on the hill, a middle-aged "Magical Girl" fell fast asleep, dreaming of a world where she could buy street meatballs without having to do cat poses.