The next day, close to noon.
The Sun in New York was still bright, but in Hells Kitchen, the sunlight always seemed to be covered by a gray filter.
The first thing Su Modie did after waking up was block the convenience store owner who did nothing but exploit his employees.
In the narrow room, she sat on the edge of the creaky, worn-out bed, tore open a pack of near-expired biscuits, and stuffed them into her mouth.
She wasn't the only one in the room.
The purple-haired girl wearing a black choker around her neck was sitting backward on the room's only old wooden chair, completely disregarding her posture.
Her arms were folded over the back of the chair, her chin resting on the back of her hands.
Those emerald-green eyes stared unblinkingly at Su Modie eating, her legs swinging boredly in the air.
"Hey, how did you sleep last night?" Reze suddenly spoke, her voice lazy, like a cat basking in the Sun.
Su Modie's chewing paused. She instinctively wanted to answer "not bad," but the words caught in her throat.
She looked at her oddly. "Is there any point to that question? You should know very well yourself."
Strictly speaking, they were the same person. Although their bodies were separate, their thoughts and senses were interconnected at a deep level.
What Su Modie was thinking, how well she slept—as her avatar, Reze could feel it all perfectly, even knowing what dreams Su Modie had.
"I know."
Reze replied with a smile, her eyes curving into beautiful crescents. "But it's more interesting to say it out loud, isn't it?"
She shifted her posture, her cheek resting on her arm as she looked at Su Modie sideways, her tone carrying a hint of matter-of-fact sophistry. "Besides, if we're in front of others, we have to pretend to be two different people to prevent our abilities from being discovered. This kind of conversation helps us adapt in advance. On the other hand..."
Reze's voice dropped a bit, carrying a soft, heart-melting warmth. "We're both very lonely. When it was just one person before, there was no one to talk to. Now that we finally have a companion, it would be too pitiful if we stayed silent all day, wouldn't it?"
Su Modie was stunned for a moment.
She looked into Reze's eyes, which seemed to be smiling yet held a hidden depth, and a wave of complex emotions welled up in her heart.
Indeed, having struggled alone in this unfamiliar World for eighteen years, that sense of loneliness had long since seeped into her bones.
"Talking to yourself is even more pitiful..." Su Modie muttered under her breath.
However, she didn't reject the interaction.
Although Reze was Su Modie and Su Modie was Reze, perhaps influenced by the body's personality, Reze's way of thinking was clearly more daring and unconventional, even carrying a hint of dangerous charm.
This slight difference in personality made this "talking to oneself" actually create the illusion of having company.
"Fine, whatever you want." Su Modie took a bite of her biscuit, giving her silent consent to this way of getting along.
Seeming satisfied with her main body's honesty, Reze chuckled and stood up from the chair.
With her hands behind her back, she walked to the bedside with light steps and leaned down slightly, bringing her exquisite face close to Su Modie's.
As she approached, that floral scent enveloped Su Modie once again.
Reze didn't speak; she simply reached out a slender index finger and gently wiped away a stray biscuit crumb from the corner of Su Modie's mouth.
The warm touch of the fingertip across her lips made Su Modie's breath hitch slightly.
"What are you..."
Then, to Su Modie's surprise, Reze brought the finger to her own pink lips and flicked her tongue, gently curling that crumb into her mouth.
「simulation value +10」
"?!"
Su Modie's face instantly flushed red as a strange sense of shame surged in her heart.
She's clearly my own avatar, so why does her doing this feel so... lewd?
"It tastes awful." Reze frowned and stuck out her tongue in disgust. "How can you even eat this? It tastes like damp sawdust."
"You..." Su Modie was somewhat embarrassed and angry. "You clearly don't need to eat it to know what it tastes like!"
"That's true..." Reze straightened up, but her eyes remained fixed on Su Modie's small, chewing mouth, her gaze smiling yet carrying a suggestive aggressiveness. "But I still wanted to... taste it for myself."
The meaning in that look made Su Modie's heart skip a beat.
"Stop! Enough!" Su Modie felt that if she stayed with this mischievous avatar any longer, she'd eventually be teased so much she'd want to crawl into a hole.
She quickly swallowed the last bit of biscuit and forced a change of subject. "Now that we're fed, let's get to work!"
"Yes, yes~ You're so unromantic." Reze shrugged, her lips curling into a playful arc.
"No wonder you've been single for eighteen years despite having such a face..."
"You—" Before the flustered Su Modie could retort, Reze turned and walked to the window, gently pushing open the rust-covered frame.
With one hand on the windowsill, she flipped out with agile grace, leaping out the window as silently as a lithe black cat.
It wasn't until a few seconds later that a dull boom echoed high in the sky... A few hours later, Malibu Beach, California.
Tony Stark's cliffside mansion was bathed in golden sunlight. Waves crashed against the rocks, and everything seemed so serene and luxurious.
The garage door slowly opened.
Tony Stark, wearing a flashy casual suit and sunglasses, was about to step into the driver's seat of his Audi R8.
Pepper Potts followed behind him, holding a stack of documents and speaking rapidly, her high heels clicking on the floor.
"Tony, you must confirm the security protocols for the Expo by tonight. Also, Colonel Rhodes has called three times; the Military is concerned about your last..."
"Relax, Pepper, relax."
Tony opened the car door, looking completely unconcerned.
"Today is for cruising. Can we leave the business until after I've burned through this tank of gas..."
His words suddenly caught in his throat.
Because he noticed someone was crouching next to the door of his R8.
A girl who looked quite young.
She had dark purple shoulder-length hair, skin so pale it looked almost sickly, and was wearing a simple white sleeveless tank top. The black choker around her neck was particularly striking.
She was boredly drawing circles on the R8's paint with her finger. Hearing the noise, she looked up and stared at Tony with her innocent, large green eyes.
She had appeared without a sound, like a ghost manifesting out of thin air.
The air suddenly went silent for three seconds.
Pepper Potts stopped in her tracks, glanced at the girl who looked like a high school student, and then turned a cold, scrutinizing gaze toward Tony as if he were a pervert. "Tony, your current taste..."
"...is it getting a little too 'criminal'?"