Herman took Wanda on a shopping spree down the commercial street.
Since they were out anyway, they naturally needed to stock up on clothes and daily necessities. Xavier's School for Gifted Youngsters was a boarding school under strict management. Students rarely had opportunities to go out, which was why mutant students had rushed to audition last time.
Herman first bought Wanda a large pile of daily necessities, then discreetly stowed them away in his alternate dimension when no one was looking.
Wanda was already used to this. She knew Herman possessed a storage space, guessing it was probably about the size of a basketball court.
Truth was, little Wanda's imagination was far too limited. Ten million square kilometers was enough for Herman to establish an entire nation inside. Who knew how shocked she would be if she ever learned the truth?
"Try this outfit on."
Herman led Wanda into a three-story designer boutique. He picked out all kinds of clothes for her, having her try on each one. With the vision of a [Fashion Guru], his choices were flawless.
Of course, Wanda's natural beauty made it impossible for her to look bad in anything. On someone like her, even a burlap sack would carry a sense of style.
Though she was only a little over five feet tall, her figure had developed perfectly, and her delicate features made her resemble a porcelain doll.
Even the store's sales assistants couldn't help but offer genuine compliments.
At checkout.
"And ten... twenty thousand dollars!"
Wanda had just tried on whatever Herman handed her, never expecting such exorbitant prices.
"I don't need clothes this fancy. I think the ones at home are perfectly fine." Wanda quickly set down the bagged garments.
"I told you... this is the reward you deserve. After all, you've given me what I needed."
Herman ruffled her hair again, then pulled out his black card and handed it to the sales clerk.
The attendant's expression turned strange. She thought she'd run into some kind of pervert.
However, once she saw the black card Herman produced, she immediately abandoned any thought of calling the police. People with that kind of money weren't ones ordinary folks could afford to provoke.
She could only curse him silently in her heart while outwardly returning the card with respectful deference.
After watching Herman and Wanda leave, the attendant muttered under her breath, "What a scumbag."
To be fair, Herman was actually quite... He had only meant Wanda and Quicksilver had pledged their loyalty. Who knew what the sales clerk thought he meant?
"Big brother, do you want a sundae?"
Wanda's timid voice broke the silence. Her little hand was buried in her pocket, clutching her entire savings of twenty dollars.
"Do you want some?" Herman asked, already knowing what was on her mind.
Since he had bought her so much, Wanda wanted to thank him in return. But the only thing she could afford with her money was ice cream.
"I'll buy it for you!" Wanda declared.
Clutching her savings tightly, she headed toward the ice cream stand. The little girl was nervous walking through such an upscale commercial street, worried whether her twenty dollars would even be enough for a sundae.
Still, despite her worries, she gathered her courage, stepped up to the stand, and asked about the price.
"Ten bucks each, sweetie."
The vendor was a typical American blonde beauty. Her soft, pleasant voice made Wanda sigh in relief.
"Then give me one!"
Wanda carefully unfolded a ten-dollar bill, smoothed it out, and handed it over with great seriousness. She would never spend ten dollars on ice cream for herself.
"We've got a buy-one-get-one-free deal right now."
The blonde handed Wanda two strawberry sundaes—her absolute favorite flavor.
Wanda felt like the luckiest girl alive. She ran back to Herman, smiling brightly.
"Big brother, look! Buy one, get one free!"
She offered both sundaes to him. Herman chuckled, ruffling her hair again before handing one back.
"I... I don't need mine."
Wanda looked utterly adorable, clearly craving the ice cream but pretending not to care.
"I can't finish two anyway," Herman said with a laugh.
Wanda's face lit up as she happily accepted the sundae.
...
After they left, the blonde vendor in the ice cream shop went momentarily dazed, her eyes flickering before she quickly regained focus.
"Strange, how did I end up with ten bucks in my hand?" The blonde beauty stared at the bill, unable to remember when she had taken it.
At that moment—
"I'll have a strawberry sundae."
A young girl walked up.
"Welcome! Here's your strawberry sundae, thirty-six bucks." The blonde quickly set the money aside and served her customer.
On this street, every shop carried luxury brands. Naturally, even food was outrageously expensive, a world apart from prices elsewhere.
...
Herman had just tested the ability he gained yesterday, after fully mastering his psychic powers and completing the Identity Exclusive Mission for [Hidden Superpowered Being].
Psychic Domination.
The results were impressive.
He could manipulate a person's thoughts without them ever realizing it, and once he withdrew the ability, they would remain completely unaware that anything had happened.
This power was something he had only ever seen before in the X-Men stories, used by Professor Charles. That mutant leader had once simultaneously controlled every person on an entire street from a great distance, wielding Psychic Domination to absolute perfection.
Herman's version couldn't match that scale. He could only control one person at a time—not because his psychic power was insufficient, but because the ability he had acquired was designed for single-target control.
If it had any advantage, it was that during manipulation, he could plant a mental imprint in the target. Even after releasing control, that imprint would continue to subtly influence the person over time.
Of course, Professor Charles could do that as well.
Herman never intended to compare himself to Charles. Charles was one of the most powerful mutants alive—his psychic strength alone might surpass even the Ancient One or Odin.
Being merely Gold-level himself, Herman wasn't discouraged. Falling short was natural, and he was more than satisfied with his single-target control.
In battle, one sudden strike at the right moment—even if it failed to seize control—could force a split-second distraction that decided victory or defeat.
...
After finishing their ice cream, Herman took Wanda to a high-end salon.
"Young lady, you're absolutely stunning. Is your hair naturally red like this? I've never seen such a bright shade before."
Hairdressers were usually chatty, and the upscale ones on Fifth Avenue were no exception. Their stylist today was a young woman with her own hair dyed a vivid red.
It was clear she had a particular fondness for the color. Seeing Wanda's natural reddish hair, her praise carried both genuine admiration and envy.
Her compliments made Wanda blush with embarrassment. She kept glancing toward Herman, who was waiting nearby, her eyes flickering as though she wasn't sure what to think.
"Your face shape and features are lovely too. You'll definitely grow up to be a star. Let me make you look even prettier."
The hairdresser's skill was undeniable. Serving wealthy clients on Fifth Avenue required a level of expertise few others possessed.
As she trimmed Wanda's hair, she explained her ideas to Herman, offering more than a dozen different styles, each with its own flair.
She knew Herman was the one who would ultimately decide how much money she earned. To her, he looked like a wealthy patron bringing his little sister for a haircut—surely from a distinguished family.
Her enthusiasm wasn't just about business, though. She was clearly captivated by Herman's presence.
That effortless calm paired with eyes so deep they felt intimidating—even with his mask on, she was convinced he had a face that could make her heart race. His aura felt like that of an ancient noble.
"Don't look at me—look at her."
Herman grew uneasy. The last thing he needed was to be recognized and have the stylist blurt out something like, "Oh my god, it's Homelander!"
Not far away, several wealthy ladies sat flipping through magazines. Lately, besides being called a single-mom killer, Herman had also earned the title of "rich lady killer."
"Oh, understood."
The stylist quickly turned her full attention back to Wanda's hair, afraid of upsetting him. In high-end salons, the more luxurious the service, the longer it took.
A few thousand dollars for a haircut was nothing to Herman. He quietly watched as the stylist trimmed Wanda's hair, applied styling solutions, blow-dried it, and gave it a detailed treatment. Before he realized it, two hours had passed.
Finally, a fresh, youthful hairstyle took shape.
"We look forward to welcoming you and your family again soon."
...
When they stepped out of the salon, Wanda—already beautiful—looked even more radiant. At a glance, anyone would have mistaken her for the daughter of a wealthy household.
"Are we going to the new school today?"
Wanda held Herman's hand as they walked down the sparsely populated street. She was quite pleased with her outfit today and couldn't wait to see her new school.
"Of course."
Herman led Wanda to a quiet corner. A flock of ravens swirled around them, and when the ravens dispersed, the two were already standing at the gates of the X-Mansion. Herman had been here before when arranging Wanda's transfer paperwork.
The gates of the X-Mansion were usually closed. Herman and Wanda waited at the entrance for a short while before a familiar figure approached.
"Jean, it's been a long time."
Herman greeted Jean Grey warmly. Today, Jean wore a bold leather jacket that highlighted her curves perfectly.
"So this is the girl the Professor's been thinking about for days?" Jean looked at Wanda with a kind smile.
Even the ice queen could show warmth when dealing with students. But beneath her smile lingered a trace of deep sadness.
Herman picked up on it immediately.
"Hello."
Wanda hid behind Herman, greeting Jean politely. She had no idea the woman before her was a teacher at the academy. Back when they were filming The Boys, she and Quicksilver hadn't yet moved into Stellar Tower.
"Hello, little Wanda. You'll love it here." Jean's smile seemed a bit forced, but she still extended her welcome to Wanda and Herman.
As Jean guided them toward the principal's office, she introduced the school along the way.
"That's Bobby, a very responsible kid. His ability is ice. Playing ball with him is Sharon, a speedster." Jean's mind was clearly elsewhere, but she still tried to help Wanda feel comfortable with the X-Mansion.
"I know! My brother runs fast too!"
Wanda watched the speedster mutant student and couldn't help but compare him to her brother. To her, his speed wasn't even close.
Indeed.
Herman also watched the students from afar and silently agreed. Not everyone could match Quicksilver's extraordinary genetics.
Along the way, Wanda saw other mutants—some who could duplicate themselves, others who could transform into animals—all happily playing on the grassy field.
"This is… amazing."
Wanda's eyes widened in wonder. She marveled at how these mutants lived without hiding, freely using their powers without fear inside the school grounds.
She already felt herself falling in love with this place.
If she could go home once a week—no, twice a week—this school would be nothing short of paradise.
"Looks like the Professor is a sly old fox." Herman thought to himself as he observed the scenes around him. He didn't believe this was the students' daily routine. It was too neatly arranged. Clearly, Professor Charles had staged all this for Wanda's benefit.
The goal was obvious.
To make her want to study here. And it worked—Wanda was already beginning to yearn for it.
...
"That girl who just walked past was gorgeous!"
On the basketball court, Bobby the Iceman had already noticed the two visitors Jean brought in. He was sure today's break from training had something to do with them, though he couldn't figure out why the professors cared so much.
At first, Bobby was only curious about Herman and Wanda's identities. But the moment he saw Wanda, he was captivated by her delicate, beautiful features.
In that instant, Bobby felt himself falling in love.
He froze in place, staring blankly at the direction the three had left, and whispered to his best friend, the speedster Sharon.
"Are you insane?!"
Sharon's face changed the moment he heard Bobby's words. He marched over and slapped Bobby hard across the face.
"What the hell are you doing?!"
Bobby flared up in anger.
"I'm snapping you out of it! Before you bring disaster on yourself!" Sharon's voice dropped low as he stared in the direction the three had gone.
"Do you even know who that man is? That's the Homelander!" Sharon had been part of the TV cast. Of course, she recognized the tyrant from the set.
Now, many of the student actors still carried deep psychological scars from Herman. They had no doubt he really was the Homelander in real life. Stories of his invincibility spread all throughout the X-Mansion. Some even claimed the school's higher-ups had long since been coerced by him.
Plenty believed it—Bobby included.
"Shit…"
Bobby sucked in a cold breath.
In that moment, all his affection for Wanda vanished. Between life and a possible romance, Bobby chose survival.
"Thanks for waking me up, Sharon! You really are my best friend!"
Even after being slapped, Bobby was genuinely grateful. He couldn't begin to imagine what would have happened if he had confessed his feelings.
Whether that girl was the Homelander's lover or his sister, Bobby knew his fate would be grim either way.
He'd seen The Boys. The last thing he wanted was someone snapping his neck and sneering, "Trash like you thinks it deserves to dance?"