Fake Fury accepted the folder from Coulson's hands and flipped through its contents with a cursory glance.
Though he was only White Zetsu in disguise, thanks to the knowledge Haruto had instilled in him, he understood many key details about the Marvel world.
Like the name written across the file.
Steve Rogers.
The symbol of American ideals. Captain America.
"Director Fury…"
Coulson's throat bobbed nervously as he swallowed hard.
One of the very reasons he had joined S.H.I.E.L.D. as a Level 7 agent, devoting himself to Earth's protection, was because of Rogers.
The things Rogers had done during the war were nothing short of heroic. And his final sacrifice—diving the plane into the ice to save countless lives—had elevated the very definition of what it meant to be a hero.
In peacetime, Steve Rogers' story had long since been written into school textbooks.
Nearly every child grew up wishing they could become a superhero like him.
Coulson was one of them.
He even owned a set of rare Captain America trading cards—worth a small fortune. One of his dreams was to have Rogers himself sign them.
Now, standing here, he had finally found his idol. Words could never capture the excitement he felt.
Fake Fury closed the file after taking in the gist of it, then exchanged a subtle glance with Haruto.
As far as the world was concerned, Fury was the Director of S.H.I.E.L.D.—the man in charge, the one who set the direction and gave the orders. Even Coulson had to obey him.
But in reality, this "Director Fury" was nothing more than Haruto's servant.
After reading the look in Haruto's eyes, Fake Fury inhaled deeply and gave his order in a low voice.
"Take me to him."
It wasn't a request. It was a command.
Naturally, Coulson didn't refuse.
Still, in his mind, this was a top-secret matter. Whatever Haruto's true identity was, and whatever reason he had for standing here, Coulson felt he should not be privy to this.
But then Fake Fury spoke again, his tone direct and unyielding.
"Haruto is a special consultant I brought in. Now that we've found the man, his expertise may prove useful."
With that, he repeated his demand that Coulson lead the way.
Hearing this, Coulson had no grounds to argue.
"Yes, sir," he said crisply, before turning and taking point.
Fake Fury followed behind him. Haruto walked last.
"If my guess is right," Haruto thought as he trailed them, "the system's check-in was triggered by Rogers' reappearance."
The rules of his check-in assistant always revolved around significant scenes and events. More often than not, the designated locations coincided with pivotal story beats.
As for Rogers himself, Haruto neither admired nor despised him.
Before his crossing, Haruto hadn't been American—he was from another great nation altogether. Though Marvel movies had entered that market, at their core they were still just Hollywood blockbusters.
Rogers' standalone trilogy—Captain America, The Winter Soldier, and Civil War—was etched into his memory.
The first film, an origin story, merely laid out Rogers' background and his growth into a hero. The plot had been mediocre, the box office performance unremarkable. Haruto's impression: plain, forgettable.
The second film, however, had surprised him. The Winter Soldier had felt like a Marvel-flavored Mission Impossible. For once, Rogers had impressed him.
Outside of that, though, Rogers' performances in the ensemble films had been middling at best—never shining as brightly as Iron Man, Thor, or Hulk.
Of course, Rogers' role wasn't to dazzle. As the team's moral compass, he was often the strategist and planner.
"But Civil War…"
A complicated expression flickered across Haruto's face.
If the second film had earned Rogers some credit in his eyes, the third had squandered it all.
For the sake of Bucky, Rogers had dragged half the superhero community into conflict, deceiving and withholding information in the process.
To Haruto, it was as if the usually meticulous leader had turned into a lovesick fool the moment Bucky was involved.
So many problems could have been avoided—particularly with the Sokovia Accords.
The first half of Civil War had built the accords up as the driving force, the spark that ignited the schism between heroes.
And then, halfway through, the issue all but vanished, abandoned as if it had never mattered.
Thinking about how Rogers and Bucky's storyline would later unfold left Haruto with a subtle, uneasy feeling.
Still, that was only his personal view, mixed with a measure of self-interest.
Haruto fully supported the Superhero Registration Act—the Sokovia Accords. In fact, he was already nudging events in that direction. To control the heroes, such a law was indispensable.
Naturally, Rogers stood firmly on the opposing side.
"Forget it. That's a matter for later," Haruto murmured inwardly. "For now, Rogers might still have some use."
And besides, there were still years before Civil War. By then, Kotoamatsukami could be used again.
Not the one Shisui had unleashed on General Ross, but the one hidden in the crow's eye—Itachi's failsafe.
The problem was that Kotoamatsukami had a long cooldown. With Shisui having already used it once, it would be years before it could be cast again.
Haruto weighed these thoughts as Coulson led them through S.H.I.E.L.D. corridors until they arrived at the laboratory.
The place where Steve Rogers was being kept.
Though they had found him, circumstances meant Rogers wasn't awake.
Instead, he was frozen.
Encased in ice, like a flawless crystal coffin.
"Director Fury."
Coulson motioned toward the monitoring equipment.
The readings showed it clearly: though Rogers was trapped in ice, his pulse still beat steadily.
He was alive.
"The Captain isn't dead," Coulson said, his voice trembling with barely contained excitement. "He's still alive! Can you believe it? This freezing method… it preserved him perfectly. It brought him into our time!"
"As long as we thaw him out, he'll wake up again!"
He spoke with certainty. In truth, Coulson knew bits and pieces of Fury's "Avengers Initiative." And if that plan needed a leader, then to Coulson, there was only one man fit for the role: Steve Rogers.
Just then, Haruto's check-in assistant chimed in his ears:
Congratulations, Host, you've reached the check-in location!
Check-in commencing!