"But I know—you definitely wrote this whole thing for me, didn't you?"
"Yeah! Now sign your name already!"
Gwen's cheeks flushed pink as she ducked her head, her voice soft but full of affection. She looked way too cute like that, and Ryuuto—who could barely take anything seriously—couldn't help but grin.
"Heh, I knew you were the best. This paper's guaranteed to get an A!"
Ryuuto accepted the stack of papers with mock solemnity, flashed a thumbs-up, and winked. Gwen giggled, shaking her head at him like he was some hopeless idiot—which, to be fair, he was—but at least he was her idiot.
Just then, a familiar voice piped up from the row ahead.
"Yo, Ryuuto! Gwen! Got your papers done already? Mind if I take a look?"
Ryuuto blinked. "Oh, Harry. Didn't even notice you sitting there."
Without hesitation, he handed the paper over. "Sure, knock yourself out. Gwen wrote it anyway—I didn't even bother prepping for this one."
Harry Osborn raised an eyebrow, flipped through the pages, and chuckled. "Seriously? Gwen, this is incredible. You're wasted at school; Oscorp could use someone like you right now."
"Stop it, you're embarrassing me!" Gwen ducked her face against Ryuuto's shoulder, clearly pleased.
Ryuuto leaned closer to Harry. His voice dropped a notch.
"By the way, man, thanks for helping Gwen land that internship at Oscorp. I owe you one. If you ever need anything, just ask."
Harry waved him off, grinning. "Don't be so formal. We're classmates—and friends. Gwen earned her place with her own ability."
"Haha, then I won't argue."
Ryuuto's easy grin faded, replaced by that rare, razor-edged seriousness. His tone lowered.
"Actually, there is something I could use your help with."
Harry straightened immediately. "Name it."
"It's about human enhancement serum research. If Oscorp's working on anything like that—or if you hear rumors—I need details. Any clues, no matter how small."
Harry's eyes flickered, but he nodded without hesitation. "Got it. I'll dig around and let you know as soon as I find something."
"Good man. We'll call it a deal, then."
They shook hands, sealing the promise like two conspirators. Ryuuto's system notification chimed softly in his head:
[Mission Progress +15%!]
That was all the confirmation he needed.
After turning in the paper, Ryuuto and Gwen slipped out early, wandering through the city. On the surface, it looked like a casual date—but Ryuuto's senses were wide open, scanning for any trace of that cursed enhancement formula. He wasn't about to let another lunatic turn the world upside down.
Somewhere far from the sunlit streets of New York, in a cold underground facility, three very frustrated gods sat in silence.
The Destroyer's glowing eyes were dim, his armor dented. Laufey, king of the Frost Giants, sat cross-legged with his ice spear snapped in half beside him, his face swollen and bruised from the last encounter. Heimdall, stoic as ever, stared blankly at the ceiling.
The tension in the room could've frozen lava.
"Damn it," Laufey growled, slamming a fist into the ground. "We just sit here and do nothing? Mystique's gone. Quicksilver's gone. And Ultron—don't even get me started on that tin clown!"
Heimdall's golden eyes narrowed. "If you're that eager to die, Laufey, step outside. I'm sure the humans would be thrilled to see you again."
"You think that kid—Ryuuto—can kill me?" Laufey barked. "Ha! I'll show you who's the joke here!"
He raised his broken spear dramatically… and nobody responded.
Heimdall closed his eyes, clearly done.
Even the Destroyer remained still—until suddenly, it rose, armor creaking. Its glowing chestplate flared with light. Heimdall's expression shifted instantly.
"Destroyer, what are you doing?"
"I'm going back," the machine intoned coldly. "To Asgard. I will report directly to Thor."
Both Heimdall and Laufey lunged, holding him down before he could blast off.
"Are you insane?" Heimdall hissed. "Thor banished us after that disaster. We failed to complete the mission and got humiliated by a human! You think he'll welcome us back with open arms?"
The Destroyer froze. Then went silent.
Laufey groaned and smacked his forehead. "Pathetic. We've fallen so low we can't even go home…"
Then, as if remembering, he suddenly bellowed toward the ceiling, voice full of fury and shame.
"Ryuuto! You damn brat! We won't forget this!"
But the only reply was silence—and somewhere across the city, Ryuuto sneezed.
"…Weird," he muttered. "Feels like someone ugly just cursed me."