Chapter 19: An Interesting Neighbor
"Sir, the landlord has already agreed to come over. He should be here in about 30 minutes. About the payment…" John asked cautiously, afraid of offending his client. If this deal went through, it would mean a year's worth of wages in one shot. Of course, John couldn't afford to take it lightly.
"The payment can be settled on the spot. We'll just wait for the landlord to arrive."
It wasn't long before the landlord arrived. A luxurious Cadillac pulled up, and the first to step out was a young man. He then pulled a wheelchair out of the trunk and carried out a bald man, slowly pushing him into the manor.
The moment Uchiha Akira saw the bald man, he felt he looked a little familiar. As if to confirm his suspicion, the system immediately chimed in with a friendly reminder.
Mission: Fame Across the Universe!
(This world is full of bald bosses. You must show the people of this universe that long hair can also make you a boss!)
You've met the first bald boss. Now it's time to showcase your diplomatic skills! Whether you befriend him or become enemies depends on your choice.
Bald Boss Plan – Stage One Activated.
Mission Failure Penalty: None.
(Though maybe some crazy Dark Phoenix will blast you into atoms? That'd be miserable. Might as well get disintegrated by the Tsuchikage's Dust Release instead.)
The hint from the system was way too obvious. Uchiha Akira wasn't stupid.
The Westchester School for Gifted Youngsters, plus this disabled bald guy from Marvel—the system couldn't have made it clearer. Of course, this was Professor X. But… he looked much younger than the Professor X Akira remembered!
"Hello, you're the buyer? Nice to meet you, my name is Charles."
Sure enough—it was you, Baldy Charles. No mistake about it. All the traits matched perfectly. This wasn't a coincidence.
"Hello, my name is Uchiha Akira."
"Japanese?"
"Mm, not Japanese. My name just happens to sound Japanese, that's all."
Charles didn't mind. Even if it was a fake name, it didn't matter to him. As long as the money was paid and the property transferred, Charles didn't care who bought this ancestral estate. After all, he owned plenty of other properties. That financial strength was exactly what made it possible for him to run the mutant academy.
Thanks to John the broker's efforts, the deal went through quickly. Akira transferred the money via bank, Charles signed the papers for the title transfer. The only hiccup was that the sheer amount of funds caused some trouble at the bank, but overall everything went smoothly.
The happiest of all was John the agent. Closing such a huge deal in a single day—he'd earn so much commission his hands would cramp from counting. He'd already decided to take a week's vacation and head to Miami's beaches to enjoy the good life.
"Well then, gentlemen, the transaction has been successfully completed. Anything else you need? Mr. Uchi… Uchiha, would you like me to give you a ride somewhere?"
Even after closing the deal, he wouldn't slack on service. That was the golden rule of a top salesman.
Akira gave John a rare serious glance. Indeed, people who seize opportunities all have their own shine.
With the mood cheerful all around, John left first for Manhattan. Charles and the young man also prepared to get into their car.
For some reason, on a sudden impulse, Charles decided to peek into Akira's memories. Mainly because these four people seemed suspicious, and they were awfully close to the academy.
System Alert: Warning! External psychic intrusion detected!
At the exact moment of the system warning, Akira himself sensed an odd spiritual energy invading him—something similar to the effect of genjutsu.
A shrill alarm blared inside his head. For the first time, his usually green system panel flickered to a flashing yellow.
Damn it, Charles! Akira didn't know why Charles wanted to probe his mind, but the friendly atmosphere immediately turned explosive.
"Hi no Kagutsuchi, Tetsuhi, Inaho—move in! Watch out for psychic attacks. If possible, don't go for a kill. Subdue him first!"
The four of them used Body Flicker to instantly close in on Charles and the young man. But unexpectedly, Inaho was sent flying with a single kick from the young man—who had now transformed into a lion-like figure covered in blue fur.
That distinctive blue fur instantly told Akira who he was facing—Hank McCoy, the mutant known as Beast. But Inaho wasn't one to take it lying down. Having been caught off guard, he quickly countered with a sharp kick, knocking Hank down and pressing a kunai against his throat.
As for Charles, he immediately raised his hands. The cold kunai at his neck made him realize he had screwed up badly.
"Charles, has no one ever told you that prying into other people's memories is very unethical? Have you figured out how you're going to explain yourself?"
Akira was deeply displeased. In his memories, Charles was usually principled, never lightly entering others' minds. Today's smooth transaction shouldn't have ended this way—why did Charles suddenly act like this?
"I'm sorry! I didn't mean it. There's a misunderstanding here!" Charles hadn't expected his thoughtless act would land him in such serious trouble.
Hank was instantly subdued. His telepathy was completely blocked, useless against this young man, and he couldn't even handle the other three.
"Tell me, what kind of 'misunderstanding' made you think we were weak and easy to bully?" Akira originally thought Professor X represented the lawful-good side of mutants, and there could be future cooperation. But this younger version of Charles seemed to lack principle.
"I'm sorry! Truly sorry! You looked suspicious, and I was worried you posed a threat to the Westchester School for Gifted Youngsters. That's why I tested you. It was my mistake! I sincerely apologize!"
Charles wasn't even bothering to think about why these four had such ridiculous skills.
With death literally pressed against his neck, this was the closest he'd come to dying since the Cold War mission.
"Show some sincerity, otherwise this misunderstanding won't be easy to resolve." Akira didn't want to kill Charles. The Uchiha clan excelled in mental defenses, and a psychic mutant like Charles wasn't too dangerous to them.
Besides, considering Charles' stance, Akira believed cooperation could still be possible in the future. Killing him outright would antagonize not only the mutant academy but also Magneto's Brotherhood. If Jean Grey suddenly went Dark Phoenix, would he have to run away with his clan again?
So of course, it was better to squeeze some compensation out of Charles. Otherwise, wouldn't that be a loss?
"The manor behind this one also belongs to me. To show my sincerity, I'll transfer that property to you as well. Consider it my personal apology. Mr. Uchiha, will that suffice?"
Charles had never thought so fast in his life. He already suspected this young man was unusual, and after probing him, it was like he had poked a hornet's nest.
He could only hope this compensation would be enough.
As Charles anxiously waited for a response, Akira suddenly broke into a smile.
"Oh, how could I possibly accept that? But since you're being so generous, Charles, it'd be rude of me to refuse. By the way, would tomorrow work for the title transfer?"
Seeing Akira's sudden 180-degree change in attitude, Charles finally let out a breath of relief. Fortunately, this young man was truly interested in estates. The crisis was temporarily defused.
"No problem, we can do the transfer tomorrow. But Mr. Uchiha, would you mind having your companions release my friend?" It was Charles' first time seeing someone so blatantly money-minded.
"Inaho, let him go—we've come to an agreement." Akira gestured for him to release Hank.
"Clan leader, are you sure?"
"Positive. Let him go."
Hank climbed back up angrily, his clothes ripped from transforming, now covered in dirt and looking utterly disheveled.
"Well, Mr. Charles, I suppose we've gotten to know each other the hard way. I won't invite you to dinner tonight—no ingredients anyway."
"You're not afraid I'll deny this tomorrow?" Charles couldn't help but ask now that things had calmed down.
"I actually do believe in your integrity, Mr. Charles," Akira said with a cheerful smile.
Just when Charles felt slightly flattered, Akira added:
"But even if you did deny it, I wouldn't be worried. Worst case, I'll just show up at your doorstep. I'm sure you wouldn't want that, right, Mr. Charles?"
As he said this, Akira suddenly Body Flickered behind Charles, patting both him and Hank on the shoulder. By the time they turned around, he was already back in his original spot.
What was that? That was a show of strength!