["I'm genuinely a little curious. Why is every step you take walking on the edge of a knife, and every option you prepare for yourself always accompanied by a strong self-destructive impulse?" the shadow asked curiously. "Do you really believe that 'the greater the risk, the higher the reward'? I can't tell that you're so loyal to the Company."]
["Hmph, there are plenty of things you can't tell… which is why you also can't tell how I'm going to win everything." Aventurine said coldly.]
["Provided that you can actually do it."]
[Aventurine smiled meaningfully: "…We'll wait and see."]
[The Cornerstone at his feet disappeared—it had been an illusion caused by [Harmony]. Aventurine heard intermittent footsteps beside his ear. He turned his head and saw that the little Avgin child was standing not far away.]
[Aventurine went up and asked him whether he had found his parents. The other said of course—not only Mom and Dad, but also his older sister. The four of them had just played hide-and-seek here.]
[The little child planted both hands on his hips and smiled until his eyes narrowed into slits: "So happy! On the way here, Dad even showed me a 'banana-peel movie'."]
[Aventurine's tone suddenly became very gentle: "You mean a 'film movie,' right?"]
["Yeah, that's it. If you put lots and lots of paper picture boards together, they turn into moving murals." The little child said seriously. "If you put me and Dad, Mom, and big sister together, we turn into a family."]
["You try it too, mister! Looking at how you've been frowning the whole time—you should be happier at an amusement park."]
[Aventurine forced a faint smile and lightly nodded: "…Alright."]
——
The Boys.
"Ryan?"
Homelander pushed open the door to his son's bedroom. The small bed floated in the darkness, the orange night light like a lighthouse casting its glow.
Homelander sighed. "Ryan, don't pretend to be asleep. I can tell."
Ryan turned over under the covers and faced him: "Are you going to discuss the filming with the production team?"
"Yes, that's important. It will decide your influence among the fans from now on. We must make you the protagonist and shoot a documentary similar to Aventurine's, recording your experiences from childhood until now—you know, this takes a lot of mental energy. I hope you can fall asleep within half an hour after I leave, okay?"
"Okay."
"First hand over your phone."
Ryan reluctantly took the phone out from under the pillow and handed it to Homelander. On it, a fan song about Aventurine was playing. Without needing to guess, before he came in, the boy had been hiding under the covers watching videos the whole time.
"Dad, I feel like I can't compare to him." Ryan said softly. "I don't have a childhood like his, and I don't have luck like his... I can't become him."
"No, you can. You can even do better than him." Homelander stroked the top of his son's head. "Don't you think we can also represent [Preservation]? Besides, Aventurine prefers to play with schemes and is more cunning, while you... Ryan, you are kind, fearless, and upright. Believe me… you are more like a hero than he is."
"But..."
What he didn't dare tell his dad was that ever since Aventurine smashed his own [Cornerstone] and used schemes to deceive Sunday, he had already become one of Aventurine's fans just like the many supporters online. But as Homelander's son, if this matter got out it would be too embarrassing—Homelander would never allow it. What's more, from the recent trends, Homelander intended to mold him into a second "Aventurine."
But he could not become Aventurine, and he did not want to become Aventurine. He simply wanted to use his own superpowers to save people—yet Dad always tried to complicate this matter, even going so far as to stage a robbery case himself.
"Ryan, listen to me." Homelander looked at him seriously. "Do you know what these Aventurine fans want most?"
"Aventurine?"
"No, no, no. You're completely wrong." Homelander corrected. "It's people like 'Aventurine'—people who have tragic childhood experiences, who are handsome, confident, strong, and intelligent. But the problem is: does America have such people? No! Not only America—the whole world doesn't have them!"
"But Ryan, we are going to create such a person. That's why we invited the world's top screenwriters and directors. They will create the most suitable origins and background for you. As long as you can harvest the support rate of all Aventurine fans... Ryan, believe me, one day you will thank me."
——
[Aventurine played a round of the hamster-ball game with the little child and successfully scored a high score. When he excitedly wanted to share it with the little child, he discovered that the space beside him was empty—there was no one at all.]
["…Boring."]
[He continued forward. When he arrived in front of a pinball machine, the shadow behind him let out a deep sigh.]
["Why aren't you speaking?" Aventurine glanced back at him.]
["You really have piqued my interest… I admit there are still some parts of you I don't fully understand."]
[Aventurine coldly snorted: "You're being quite sincere this time."]
["Sincerity is one of the few precious qualities I have. No need to emphasize it specially. See that maze over there? Before you walk out of it, I will completely understand you." The shadow said. "Our journey through the film city is not yet over. Your life-flashing-before-your-eyes is still continuing… and I don't mind stretching this process out very, very long."]
[Aventurine followed the little child's voice into a maze. In a dead-end alley, Aventurine saw a pair of shackles lying on the ground.]
["This is..."]
["Need a little hint? This is a pair of shackles—the ones that were put on you. That man's first [job] for you, the first bucket of gold you earned… I remember it crystal clear. You wrapped this iron chain around your fist—that was the only tool you could find. Then, inside that maze, you..."]
[Aventurine gritted his teeth: "…Shut up."]
[The shadow looked a little gleeful: "Oh… you don't want to face that past? Don't want to admit that this life of yours was only worth sixty Taanba?" The shadow lightly laughed. "In my view, neither of those is the normal answer… You refuse to face it only because it proves your weakness."]
——
Chainsaw Man.
"Hey hey, what's with this guy? Why does he keep rubbing salt into people's wounds? Can't Aventurine just punch him into pieces?"
This shadow was truly noisy—noisy to the point that even Denji couldn't stand watching anymore. It was exactly like a mosquito flying around at night; biting you was secondary—the main point was to annoy you.
"How could you punch him away? This shadow is a projection of Aventurine's inner self—it's also a part of Aventurine." Aki Hayakawa sighed. "He seems to be shaking Aventurine? I don't know why he's doing this... but he's exposing that side of Aventurine that he tries to hide—the side no one knows about."