"Max and the others… are they being controlled by the Scepter?"
"No," Ryuuto said sharply, cutting him off. "He did that on his own—destroyed the town, killed everyone. So if his actions lead to any more deaths from our school… I'll personally send him to hell."
Charles exhaled a weary sigh. "I almost wish he were under the Scepter's influence. At least then there'd be someone else to blame. I've always considered him… a friend."
"Professor, you can afford to be merciful." Ryuuto's tone was flat. "I can't."
"Well… I suppose as long as your intentions are good," Charles said softly.
Ryuuto wanted to reply—something about not wanting anyone or anything to tie him down—but before he could, Susan's scream ripped through the air. He instantly bolted toward the dorms, the space around him blurring. Within two steps, his figure vanished completely—like air folding in on itself.
"Doesn't Magneto care about his son?" Jean asked, startled.
"If you hadn't mentioned it, I'd have forgotten," Charles murmured. "We still have Quicksilver detained. Go and release him."
"On it."
Ryuuto burst into Katie Dee's room. Susan was trembling on the floor.
"What happened?" he demanded, kneeling beside her.
"S-She… she just sank!" Susan stammered.
"Then I'll check downstairs. You stay put," Ryuuto said, giving her a small, crooked grin as he wiped her tears away. "Idiot… this is the third time you've cried in front of me. You're worse than a kid."
Being called a child by someone younger—Susan had no words for that. Her face flushed, equal parts anger and embarrassment.
Before she could even snap back, Ryuuto was gone again—vanished like mist.
"This guy…" she sighed, half exasperated, half impressed. "It's like he just teleports through time and space!"
Susan crouched and activated her ability, making part of the floor transparent. Below, she could see Katie Dee's head resting against the underside of the surface—crying quietly.
From Susan's perspective, it looked like only a disembodied head was left. But she knew the truth—Katie had phased her body into the floor, hiding from the world.
Meanwhile, Ryuuto reappeared beside her.
He crouched down. "Hey. What's wrong?"
"My mom just called…" Katie's voice cracked. "She said she doesn't want me anymore."
Her breathing was shallow, panicked. "I can't control my powers right now. I can't breathe properly either. When I phase through solid things, I can't inhale properly—it's like my body's being crushed. It hurts so much… Teacher Ryuuto, it hurts and I can't even move."
Ryuuto tried to touch her face, but his hand slipped through her body like a ghost. He frowned. "So even your molecular structure's unstable now…"
Katie choked on another sob. "She said it's because Mutants destroyed our town… that one day, I'd turn out just as cruel. She told me never to contact them again. Said I was dead to her."
Ryuuto's eyes softened—but his words were sharp. "Sounds like a blessing to me."
"W-what? How is that—my parents abandoned me!"
"That's exactly why it's good," Ryuuto said simply. "They're ordinary humans. You're not. You'd never fit in their world again. But here? Here, you've got people like you. A family that actually gets it. So quit hiding like a mole."
Katie took a shaky breath and slowly phased up through the floor, standing on solid ground again.
"I'm still too weak…" she murmured.
"With my training, you won't be for long," Ryuuto replied with a grin.
"Teacher, huh? That sounds weird…"
"As long as you keep improving every day, I won't put you through hellish drills," Ryuuto teased. "Unless you ask for them."
"Didn't you just say this is supposed to be a family? That sounds more like torture!"
"The good kind of torture," he said with a smirk, gently brushing her messy blonde hair aside. "Remember, I'm not just your teacher—I'm your big brother now. If anything's bothering you, mentally or physically, talk to me."
"…That sounds even weirder."
"You think too much," Ryuuto said, smiling.
Katie suddenly hugged him. Their first hug had been polite—this one wasn't. This one came from the heart.
Abandoned by her blood family, Katie found a new one that day.
The next morning, Ryuuto left alone for the ruins of the small town Magneto had destroyed.
Hundreds of officers and rescue workers were combing through debris. To anyone watching, Ryuuto looked like a regular bystander—no one suspected the calm young man in the crowd was a Mutant.
But he wasn't there just to inspect the damage.
Mutant-detection devices were already in mass production.
Soon, there'd be nowhere left to hide.
And when the government finally gave the order…
…it would be open season on every Mutant alive.
Ryuuto clenched his fists, eyes cold as he scanned the wreckage.
He approached a middle-aged woman and asked casually, "Have the bodies been cleared out yet?"
She frowned. "Is there a problem?"
Ryuuto smiled faintly. "No. I'm from a nearby town—just looking for a friend."