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Back at the villa, Wanda rushed to the study. A thick old tome floated in front of her, held up by her scarlet energy.
Turing, ever considerate, had already prepared snacks and adjusted the room's lighting.
"Miss Wanda, would you like me to read it to you?" Turing asked.
"No, thanks."
Wanda was fully focused as she flipped through the pages. "Where's Jiro?"
"Sir is in the solar simulation chamber. Would you like me to let him know you're looking for him?"
"No! No need!" Wanda quickly shook her head, her cheeks slightly flushed."I was just, y'know... asking."
Turing went quiet for a few seconds, then suddenly said, "According to my database, in situations like this, humans usually exhibit—"
"Turing!"
"Apologies. Shutting up now."
Late into the quiet night, Wanda finally closed the book.
Rubbing her sore neck, she walked out to the balcony—and was surprised to see Jiro floating in the night sky. Several golden devices hovered around him, seemingly absorbing energy.
He sensed her gaze and slowly descended, landing lightly on the balcony railing.
"You finished it?"
"Yeah."
Wanda nodded. "But there were a few parts I didn't really get… like the conversion ratio of magical energy."
Jiro stepped down beside her, a cool breeze clinging to him from the night air. "Which page?"
Wanda flipped to her marked section. Jiro glanced at it over her hand and let out a quiet laugh. "If you're interpreting it like this… then the correct ratio should be 3 to 7."
His breath brushed against her ear, cool and minty.
Wanda suddenly realized they were standing so close she could count his eyelashes.
"You... how do you know that's right?"
"Because I'm Superman," Jiro said, tapping the book and then pointing at his head.
Wanda's eyes went wide. "You've got a super brain too? That's insane!"
"Stronger than you think."
Jiro said casually as he handed the book back to her. "Go to bed. We've got an early morning tomorrow."
He turned to leave, but Wanda suddenly mustered her courage.
"Jiro!"
"Hmm?"
"Thanks... for teaching me so much."
Under the moonlight, Jiro's expression softened a bit. "You're a quick learner."
He paused for a moment. "Way better than Strange."
Wanda blinked. "Who's that?"
"A Sorcerer Supreme. The guy got himself stuck in the Mirror Dimension the first time he tried opening a portal."
Jiro shook his head. "Go to sleep, little witch."
As she watched him walk away, Wanda hugged the book tightly, a smile curling on her lips.
She suddenly found herself looking forward to tomorrow's training—though she'd never admit it, not even under torture.
The next morning, sunlight filtered softly through sheer curtains as Wanda finished packing.
She was dressed in a light yellow beach dress, her red hair loosely tied with a ribbon. The Mind Stone pendant around her neck sparkled faintly in the light.
"Turing, where's Jiro?" she asked quietly, stuffing sunscreen into her bag.
"Sir is currently recharging in the solar simulator," the AI's voice came from her watch.
"Would you like me to let him know you're ready?"
Wanda shook her head, fingers flickering with a hint of scarlet energy. She picked up her things and headed toward the underground lab. "Nah, I'll go myself."
She carefully opened the door and stepped into the training room.
Inside the transparent pod of the simulator, Jiro hovered within a blazing white column of light. The muscles under his black tank top rose and fell gently with his breath.
His lashes were nearly translucent under the intense light, and the whole scene made him look like he was bathing in liquid sunlight.
Wanda unconsciously held her breath. Just then, Jiro's eyes snapped open—his golden pupils locked right onto her.
The simulator slowly opened, and he landed lightly on the ground.
"Not very polite to spy on someone charging up, Miss Wanda," he said with a smirk as he grabbed a shirt and slipped it on.
Wanda's ears turned red. "I was just… here to say I'm ready."
Jiro raised an eyebrow at her carefully chosen outfit. "Looks like someone's excited for vacation."
"It's training!" Wanda insisted, though the smile on her face totally gave her away.
Jiro let out a low chuckle and raised a hand to open a portal.
This time, the other side revealed the turquoise waters of Tahiti, clear as gemstones. The white sand shimmered in the sunlight—it was even more magical than Hawaii.
"Ground rules first."
He stepped through the portal. "Morning's for precision control training. Afternoon's your free time."
Wanda let out a cheer and followed. As her bare feet touched the soft sand, she couldn't help spinning in a full circle.
The sea breeze lifted her skirt, and her red hair blazed like fire in the sun.
Jiro had already waded into the shallows, the water brushing his ankles.
He bent down, scooped up a handful of seawater, and shaped it into a shimmering coral form in his palm. "Watch closely."
With a subtle motion, the water coral suddenly split into hundreds of tiny jellyfish, each glowing with golden light. They floated up and formed a beautiful, complex 3D pattern in the air.
Wanda was mesmerized and tried to copy him. Her first few jellyfish were all over the place, but she quickly improved.
Her scarlet energy mingled with the seawater, refracting sunlight into rainbow-like halos.
"Not bad."
Jiro gave her an approving nod. "Now try this."
He snapped his fingers, and all the jellyfish suddenly morphed into glowing words—basic incantations from Kamar-Taj.
Wanda bit her lip in concentration. Her jellyfish swarm started to shift, slower and less stable, but eventually spelled out the words Chaos Magic.
By noon, the sun was blazing. Out of nowhere, Jiro summoned two lounge chairs and a sunshade.
Wanda flopped into one, her forehead dotted with sweat.
"Tired?" Jiro handed her a chilled coconut.
Wanda took it, her fingers absentmindedly tracing the smooth surface. "It's more draining than the training room, but…"
She glanced out at the sparkling blue sea. "It's way more fun."
Jiro leaned back in his chair, sunglasses covering his eyes, but the curve of his lips softened. "Magic is rooted in emotion. Joy sparks more creativity than fear ever could."
Wanda nodded thoughtfully, then noticed his sunglasses were reflecting her tiny fidget.
Her fingers were twirling strands of her red hair. Embarrassed, she quickly dropped her hand and pretended to be really interested in the coconut.
That afternoon, they headed to the coral reef zone.
Jiro taught her how to compress energy into fine threads so she could explore the internal structure of coral without damaging it.
Wanda picked it up quickly—her scarlet energy slithered through the coral like a living thing.
"Sir."
Turing's voice suddenly came from Jiro's watch. "The Monaco race is about to begin. There's a chance... this one might go differently."
A hologram expanded, showing a live feed of the Monaco Grand Prix.
Tony Stark stood on the podium, being his usual flashy self, blowing kisses to the cheering crowd.
As he walked toward his car, the stadium's energy reached a fever pitch.
"Still the same old show-off," Jiro commented, opening a small portal. A neatly arranged fruit platter appeared in his hand.
The race started. Cars roared forward from the starting line.
Tony Stark's car was blazing down the track when—
On screen, a man in a mechanic's jumpsuit suddenly tore open his shirt, revealing an arc reactor in his chest. Two electric whips lashed out like live snakes!
"Whoa!" Wanda gasped.
The blue whips sliced down on an oncoming car, splitting it clean in two.
Gasps filled the stadium. Tony's car was speeding straight toward the attacker.
The man with the whips grinned wickedly and slashed at Tony's car.
Next second—
Tony tapped his wristwatch. In a flash, red and gold nanotech armor covered him head to toe.
He caught one whip with one hand, blasted the guy with a repulsor cannon in the other. The whip-wielding man was thrown back, crashing hard into the barrier.
For a second, the whole stadium was dead silent—then it erupted into deafening cheers.
Tony flipped his faceplate up and grinned at the camera. "Anyone else wanna try me?"
Wanda burst out laughing. "That guy is just…"
"Begging to get punched," Jiro finished for her.
He turned off the projection and looked out at the setting sun in the distance."Turing, looks like the playboy doesn't need saving."
Wanda glanced at his profile, now bathed in golden sunlight. Suddenly, she said softly,"Thanks for bringing me here."
Her voice was barely audible."These past couple of days... it's been the best training I've ever had."
Jiro turned to her. His sunglasses slid slightly down his nose, revealing those gold-tinted eyes."No problem, little witch."
The sea breeze swept by, carrying a salty tang mixed with the distant scent of jasmine.
Wanda's heart skipped a beat. Something unfamiliar had started to take root and grow in her chest.
But Jiro just casually pushed his sunglasses back up and laid back in the chair like he hadn't noticed a thing.
"....."