"Ding ding—!"
Ryuuto's phone buzzed sharply, cutting through the quiet air. He blinked, half-expecting it to be Shion announcing another ridiculous system quest.
"Hello?" he answered, lifting the phone to his ear.
Before he could say anything, a sweet, teasing voice came through the speaker.
"Ryuuto-nii~ where are you? Sister Susan and I have been waiting at your place forever!"
Ryuuto froze. Guy and Susan? Here?
"Guy… you two are at my place already? You could've warned me, you know," he said, half laughing, half exasperated.
"Hehe~ Ryuuto-nii, Sister Susan says you're probably with some pretty girl again, right?" Guy's voice came lilting through, dripping with mischief.
A vein twitched on Ryuuto's temple. He shot Gwen a helpless look; she just grinned at him knowingly.
"Yeah, I'm with someone," Ryuuto replied, a smirk tugging at his lips. "But not nearly as pretty as you two."
He heard a small growl from Susan's side of the line—probably her stomach—and chuckled. "You're hungry, huh? Alright, I'll grab some food on my way home."
"Don't change the subject," Susan cut in sharply. "You've been glued to Gwen lately, haven't you? You skipped your university lectures for, what, fifteen days?"
Ryuuto's grin widened. "Still as sharp and gorgeous as ever, Susan."
"Don't sweet-talk me!" she snapped, though her voice softened at the end. He could hear the smile she was trying to hide.
"When are you getting back? You planning to let us freeze outside the gate?"
"Of course not! I'll be there in ten minutes. Just have Guy phase through the wall and open up. Don't make yourselves tired waiting."
"Hmph. You've got some sense left."
Guy giggled on the other end. "You better hurry, Ryuuto-nii~ or if we find any 'other women's stuff' in your house, you'll have to explain that yourself!"
Ryuuto nearly choked. "Wha—?! There's nothing like that!"
"I hope so," Susan said sweetly, and hung up.
He let out a long sigh, shoving the phone into his pocket. "You see what I deal with?" he muttered.
Gwen laughed softly beside him.
He took her hand and said, "Alright, training ends here for today. I've got something to handle, so I'll take you home first."
"Okay," she said with a bright smile. "I should rest and consolidate anyway. Take care of yourself too, Ryuuto."
The two shared a quiet smile as they caught a taxi together.
Meanwhile—deep beneath a steel-plated fortress outside New York—Magneto stood before his Brotherhood of Mutants, his presence cold and regal.
"How's the situation?" he asked, voice echoing. "That boy Ryuuto… still hiding in New York?"
Quicksilver clenched his fists. "Yes, Father. That brat's still strutting around, acting fearless. He even killed one of the new mutants we just recruited!"
"You want me to gather a team and wipe him out?"
"No need," Magneto interrupted coldly, waving a hand. His crimson helmet glinted under the dim light. "We'll deal with him strategically. No more brute force."
He turned to Mystique, who stood beside him with icy poise.
"Report."
"Our new serum is functional," Mystique said, bowing slightly. "It grants immunity to physical attacks but drains massive energy when faced with high-level powers. Further refinement is required."
"I see." Magneto's eyes sharpened. "Then increase recruitment. Double the pay. Triple it, if necessary. I only want useful mutants."
"Yes, sir."
"And Pietro," Magneto said, turning to Quicksilver again, his tone now deadly calm. "You'll be sparring with Ryuuto regularly from now on. Think of it as… sharpening a blade."
Quicksilver's smirk returned. "Understood. I'll make him regret ever crossing me."
"Good," Magneto said, a cruel smile forming. "Because soon, the world will kneel to us—the true inheritors of evolution."
He paused, eyes narrowing as he muttered,
"And perhaps it's time I paid a visit to that thunder god… I imagine he'll be very interested."
Back in Oxford—
Ryuuto hopped out of the taxi, tossing a few hundred bills to the driver. He grabbed two paper bags heavy with food and hurried up the marble steps to his townhouse—a sleek hideout only known to a select few.
He was halfway to the door when his steps halted. A tingling sensation rippled across his skin—a force field.
"Oh, come on…" Ryuuto groaned, recognizing the signature energy at once.
He raised his hands theatrically and called out,
"Susan! I'm home! You don't need to literally welcome me with a force field, y'know?"
A familiar, exasperated voice echoed from inside.
"That's what you get for keeping us waiting so long!"
Ryuuto sighed, rubbing his forehead. "You're heartless, you know that?"
He glanced at the two bags in his hands and grinned slyly. "Alright, fine. I bought your favorite food. But if you don't open the door, I might just share it with some other girls who appreciate me more."
He deliberately opened one of the bags, letting the delicious aroma of takeout drift into the air.
Inside, he could hear Susan's annoyed—but very audible—stomach growl.