Mindy paused. "Why'd you become one?"
He just gave her a smirk. "It's Classified."
She stuck her tongue out. "Whatever. I'll tell Carlos and Hannah a more childish version of what we did today. Don't want them worrying."
James nodded. "Good. That's your only job right now. Just focus on being a kid. We'll deal with the rest of the problems."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Mindy was taken straight home, where she told Carlos and Hannah about some of her past. It wasn't directly connected to anything going on, but it stirred Hannah's maternal instincts. Anny also went over and purred at her feet, sensing that she needed comfort.
Instead of sending Mindy to class the next day, she went straight to the flower shop with Hannah and Anny.
The following day marked the arrival of the engineering team from Stark Industries. After taking Mindy to school in the morning, James rushed back home.
The team leader, a designer, needed James's input.
"Mr. James, Mr. Stark said everything is up to you. How would you like us to proceed with the modifications?"
James led them to the house next door, which had been tastefully renovated by the previous owner—but none of it was useful to him.
"There's no need to keep anything from the current room," James said. "Handle it however you like. The house has three bedrooms, four bathrooms, a living room, and a kitchen." He held up a tablet displaying the floor plan, identical to his own home's layout.
"I want to keep one bedroom and two bathrooms. The rest will be completely redone. One of the rooms will be transformed into a space for the Iron Man armor. It needs a ring-shaped mechanical arm. Since I'm in an apartment and can't dig underground, we'll use the ceiling instead. Fortunately, this is the top floor."
"The other room will become an armory with holographic projection equipment. I'll handle the computer system myself, but I'll need you to provide the hardware. The living room will be converted into a training room. So that's about it."
The designer took notes diligently. "Understood, Mr. James. The design will be ready in three days. Is there anything else?"
"Not for now. I'll leave this place to you. I need to check on the renovations for my sister's room next door."
James returned home, where the same renovation company from before had arrived.
"Mr. James, it's an honor to work with you again. What are your requirements this time?" asked the company's designer.
"I was very satisfied with your last project. This time, I need to convert the study. My father adopted a little girl, so the study will be repurposed.
Though my father and I need desks—just match the existing style of our rooms and add it in.
For my sister's room, design a proper girl's room. She likes purple."
"No problem at all. However, I recall there's a collection room in the study. Any changes there?" the designer asked cautiously, aware that another team had handled that section before.
"Remove it and make a large closet instead. A girl's closet should be big—it'll be full of clothes. That's the general idea. The rest is up to you. You already have the data; just follow the specs."
He didn't let them measure the room again for now—currently, it was full of weapons, most of which belonged to S.H.I.E.L.D., and not suitable for others to see.
"Understood. We'll have the design ready by tomorrow. Once approved, we can start immediately. The materials will be eco-friendly and odor-free. You'll be able to move in right away."
"Perfect. I'll leave everything in your hands." With everything arranged, James turned his attention to picking up his sister from school. He was still a bit excited about suddenly becoming an older brother. In his previous life, he had been an only child and never experienced sibling dynamics.
He didn't know how to be a proper big brother—especially to a younger sister more than ten years his junior. Maybe there will be more siblings in the future? Will it be adopted? Or a miracle of the father?
He drove his spyder to the school, which wasn't far. Mindy insisted she could commute on her own, but James disagreed. He was enjoying this new role to let her go by herself—dropping her off and picking her up added joy to his otherwise dull days.
The car rolled to a stop at the school gate. It was a private school with a junior high division, so luxury cars lined the street. Most of the students weren't old enough to drive; parents or chauffeurs picked them up.
Mindy emerged wearing black leather strap shoes, white socks, and a purple dress. Her brunette ponytail bounced as she walked, a purple school bag slung over one shoulder. But she wasn't alone—over a dozen students, boys and girls, had surrounded her, speaking in a confrontational tone.
"Hey, Grape Girl, still carrying that purple Wallet? Might wanna hand it over before you stain your costume."
They looked older than middle schoolers—definitely not part of the junior section.
Mindy's purple wallet, a gift from James, was packed. He'd given her a lot of pocket money—with many hundred-dollar bills. It was a habit from his old upbringing: giving a child some pocket money was normal, even if she was just a younger sister. Carlos and Hannah kept a close watch over it, of course.
"You'd better move out of my way," Mindy warned. Then she hesitated, thinking of her new father and brother. They were kind to her. It would be better not to cause trouble for them.
The group burst into laughter. "What are you gonna do? Throw a tantrum? Or maybe cry for help?"
Mindy's face darkened. She didn't have a habit of boasting—she used to be a super killer who didn't hesitate to use a blade. Now, she was being mocked by a bunch of punks. She clenched her small fists… then unclenched them. Again and again. Rage simmered just beneath the surface, barely held back.
James saw everything. He understood that Mindy was holding back—for the sake of fitting in to her new family and not causing them trouble. That thought reassured him, but he didn't want her to suppress herself too much. It wouldn't be healthy.
He stepped out of the car and walked over.
"Mindy!"
The group didn't scatter. They didn't seem to care about James's presence.
"Mindy, are these your classmates? They don't look like junior high students."
"James, they want to take my wallet." Mindy blinked up at him, her big eyes full of injustice.
James chuckled.
"Oh, I see. So what do you want to do about it?" he asked, bending down to her eye level and gently ruffling her hair.