Chapter 38 – A Strange Mission Lineup
"Long time no see." Jean smiled as she greeted Uchiha Akira.
"Long time no see." Stretching out your hand to someone who's smiling is basic courtesy—besides, Jean was the host of the Phoenix Force, and Akira didn't want to provoke her too much. Truth be told, he had never been too fond of this slightly ditzy, sweet-looking girl.
Cyclops, Scott Summers, had personally escorted Jean over. The whole time, he kept stealing glances at Uchiha Akira.
Scott's dislike was hardly concealed. Akira didn't understand why Scott was so hostile toward him, but who cared? His emotional control was far superior to Scott's—he couldn't be bothered to get angry.
Besides, Scott didn't do anything beyond pulling a long face. Akira wasn't going to lower himself to Scott's level.
Is this guy brain-damaged or something? All I did last time was catch Jean when she was falling. That's it. Could he really be holding a grudge over that? Akira thought to himself, shaking his head at such childishness.
Even if he wasn't much older than Scott in years.
The most awkward part, though, wasn't Akira—it was Jean, who firmly rejected Scott's attempt to tag along.
"Scott, I told you, we're over. I don't want to lie to you. When I lost control last time, I made it clear—our relationship ended then."
Watching a couple break up in front of him, Akira felt extremely awkward. He could only stand there, asking himself useless questions like Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?
Uchiha Izumi, standing beside him, also looked sourly at the quarrelling pair.
"Jean, I understand what you're saying. I'll respect your choice. I'm just worried about you. Even as just a friend, don't I have the right to care? I only don't want you to get hurt again." Scott explained, though who knew if he truly meant it.
From a distance, Charles Xavier could only watch helplessly, unable to interfere with such a messy relationship.
"Hey, Charles, what the hell? You're sending Jean along when she hasn't even sorted things out with her boyfriend? Is the X-Men so free these days?"
"I didn't have a choice. This is Jean's request. If I refused, her emotions would become unstable. And when her emotions are unstable, that's a problem for me too…"
Charles wore a helpless expression, silently asking Akira to put up with it. After the Dark Phoenix incident, he knew all too well that repressing Jean wasn't a solution. Blocking her memories had proven useless—it was better to let things flow naturally.
"Then why let her come on a mission with us? This task is from the Osborn Group. It might not even be a proper commission. What's it got to do with you mutants?"
Akira really didn't want to get involved with Jean. Who liked dealing with a yandere, anyway? Some yanderes could be cute—but Jean was seriously unwell.
"Can't you tell? Jean's a little attached to you." Charles finally realized Akira was a bit dense. To any observer, it was obvious Jean had feelings for him.
Akira, however, didn't buy it. A yandere girl liking someone like me? Yeah, right.
"Come on, Charles, stop joking. I've only met her a couple of times. Counting today, this is the third time. Sure, I admit I'm pretty handsome, but not that irresistible. Fine, I'll humor you this time—it's not like this is an urgent commission anyway."
Charles just shook his head. Matters of the heart were never simple.
If Akira knew what Charles was thinking, he'd scoff.
Please. In my past life, I'd seen every kind of teacher under the sun—legendary ones from all walks of life. I've got plenty of "theoretical experience." Jean Grey doesn't act normal at all. That's not love, I can tell you that much.
But perhaps Akira was overlooking one thing: yandere "love" was not the same as ordinary love.
In the end, Jean and Scott had a heated argument, and Scott stormed off.
"Well then, Mr. Uchiha Akira, shall we begin the mission?" Jean ignored Scott's departure completely, though the heartbroken, resentful look Scott gave before leaving made Akira's skin crawl.
"In that case, let's go. We'll drive." If it were just Akira and Izumi on the mission, they'd probably just run there at night. New York didn't have that many cameras—avoiding people would be easy enough.
Izumi definitely couldn't drive. Jean could, but Akira didn't trust her. So he drove himself. Thankfully, in his past life he'd gotten a license. His skills weren't great, but good enough.
After more than two hours on the road, they finally arrived at Oscorp.
Thanks to a prior appointment, the three of them passed smoothly into one of the company's core areas—Norman Osborn's office. Of course, the only reason they were granted a personal audience with Norman himself was Charles's influence. Akira was still largely unknown; few had heard of this suddenly emerging force.
"Hello, I'm Norman Osborn. I assume you know who I am. Even though Charles recommended you, I'd still like to understand your capabilities."
Norman's face was deeply lined, making him look very old. This was precisely why he was desperate to develop a genetic serum—his body was failing. And beyond himself, he had to think about his son, Harry Osborn.
Accepting Charles's referral was essentially a last-ditch effort. Normally, American tycoons avoided close ties with mutants—their reputation was abysmal.
But Norman had no choice. His most crucial research had been stolen by one of his own men. With the whole of Oscorp under scrutiny, he couldn't act directly. So he had to outsource the job.
"Let's have your bodyguard over there give me a demonstration. You—Izumi, show him what you can do."
Izumi stepped forward, unfazed by the towering bodyguard before her.
Norman hadn't expected that. He thought the girl was just support. Their young-looking leader already seemed inexperienced.
"You'd better take out your gun. Otherwise, this will look ugly for you," Izumi said coldly.
The burly guard glanced at Norman, who gave the signal to "go ahead." He drew his weapon and fired without hesitation. The first shot was deflected by Izumi's kunai.
A flash of lightning followed—and in the next instant, the guard's gun was cleaved cleanly in two, while his body went flying.
With a thunderous crash, he slammed into the wall.
Norman's eyes narrowed. What began as a mere test had turned into a revelation. So this is what a mutant is capable of?
At Norman's level, information about mutants wasn't exactly secret. But interacting with them so openly—this was a first.
Of course, he didn't know he had it all wrong: Akira and his group weren't mutants at all.
"The base pay will be ten million. If the situation changes, we'll renegotiate. Give us the target's information, and you'll hear from us when it's done." Akira kept it short. Norman Osborn wasn't about to respect anyone—extra words were pointless.
"Very well." Watching them leave, Norman added,
"Investigate these people thoroughly. I don't think they're as simple as Charles claims."
"Every detail. Find out everything, but don't alert them. And don't make trouble—I'm not looking to make enemies of mutants."
Norman's instructions were meticulous. He wanted to uncover Akira's group's true background—especially Izumi, whose display had impressed him greatly. The weapon she'd sliced was smooth as glass, as if cut by a high-energy laser.
"What kind of mutant ability is this? Remarkable!"
And then there was her devastating kick—sending his massive bodyguard flying with ease. Whether it was a mutant ability or sheer physical prowess, it was like a supercharged Captain America.
Clearly, his research into physical enhancement could not stop.
"Are mutant abilities really this exaggerated? Such a small girl, yet such terrifying combat instincts…?" Norman replayed the footage again and again, deep in thought.
Meanwhile, having left Oscorp with the intel, the three began their investigation. With the Sharingan and Jean's telepathy, the process was swift. Soon, they had narrowed down a key lead from among dozens of people connected to the Parker couple.
At first, Jean hesitated to use her powers—Charles had always taught her never to invade minds lightly, never to interfere too much in ordinary people's lives.
"Jean, I'm not saying you must do this. Izumi and I can easily subdue ordinary people and get the information we want. It just won't be as convenient as your power."
"But sometimes you don't need to cling so rigidly to rules. We're not harming anyone. As long as you control yourself and don't abuse your ability, it's fine. You have to admit, people are different. You were born with this gift—you can't hide it forever."
Akira was gently urging her to reconcile with herself. As the host of the Phoenix Force, Jean was never destined to live as an ordinary person.
"Charles is Charles. You are you. The first time Charles met me, he tried to invade my mind—just because he was curious. You're just a teenager. Small mistakes are forgivable, as long as you stick to your principles and don't lose yourself."
"You are who you are. Your powers are part of you. Stop rejecting yourself—try accepting yourself."
In Akira's eyes, Charles had raised Jean into little more than a puppet. If a mutant couldn't even accept her own abilities, was she really a mutant at all?
"I understand. I'll try to change!" Jean's eyes lit up at his words.
All her life, under Charles's guidance, she'd only learned to suppress herself. But suddenly, someone was telling her not to suppress her nature so much.
This perspective was new. Refreshing. Meaningful.
What Akira didn't notice was that Jean's gaze on him was growing brighter and brighter.
"Clan Leader, based on what we've found, Richard Parker and Mary Parker have already fled to Washington State. From there, they're transferring through the airport to Las Vegas. We should head straight to the airport to intercept them."
Izumi's timely interruption brought Akira's focus back to the mission.