Evening, in an apartment
"You're acting weird. Really weird."
Pietro crossed his arms, watching Wanda as she sat on the sofa with a constant, dreamy smile.
"Ever since we got back from the café this afternoon, you've been giggling nonstop."
"You even hummed that lullaby Mom taught us during dinner."
"My god, I can't remember the last time you did that."
"What happened over there? And why did we have to go to that café anyway?"
Though they'd suffered the loss of their parents young and endured years of hardship and displacement,
Pietro and Wanda were far more mature than most their age.
But even so, there were limits.
At fourteen, deep in the throes of adolescence,
How could Pietro possibly understand the springtime fantasies and romantic yearnings swirling in his sister's heart?
"You're especially sharp today, aren't you?"
Wanda reached out and ruffled Pietro's hair. "Remember—I'm the older sister!"
"Oh, here we go again." Pietro slumped back on the sofa in exasperation.
"Every time you don't want to talk about something, or we disagree, you pull the 'I'm the big sister' card."
"But honestly, Wanda, if you count by actual birth time, I'm—"
He broke off as Wanda fixed him with a look.
Pietro paused, then raised his hands in surrender. "Alright, fine. You're the sister."
"Hmph, that's more like it."
Satisfied, Wanda smiled as she watched Pietro's familiar resigned expression.
"I was just thinking about starting school tomorrow."
At the mention of school, her eyes flickered with a mix of excitement and hesitation.
Once, the idea of attending school like other kids their age had felt impossibly distant.
But now, after that stern, unsmiling woman had brought them from Sokovia,
Pietro and Wanda had expected the worst—experimentation, torture, exploitation.
Instead, the eyepatch-wearing man had simply asked about their lives.
arranged this apartment for them in New York, provided a monthly allowance,
and even enrolled them in school.
It was as if they could finally live normal lives.
They still didn't know what his real motives were.
But for now, since resistance wasn't an option, they'd play along.
If things turned dangerous later… well, they could always run to Su Che.
As her future husband, he wouldn't ignore them.
Meanwhile, in the parking lot
Su Che had just stepped out of his car, mulling over what to write in his fourth diary entry.
when a sudden sense of danger prickled down his spine.
Almost instinctively, he raised his hand —
A dense shield of water instantly materialized in his palm, enveloping him.
Before he could even identify the threat,
A bullet tore through the air with a sharp whistle, heading straight for him.
Thump.
As everyone knows, bullets deflect and ricochet in water.
By the time the round pierced the water shield and grazed Su Che's ear, its kinetic energy had dissipated.
It dropped harmlessly to the ground.
Su Che would be lying if he said he wasn't shaken.
After all, he'd been an ordinary person before transmigrating—
And even with powers now, he was still new to this.
Fortunately, the mental fortitude honed during system simulations had toughened his nerves.
Reacting swiftly, he transformed into a blur of motion, charging toward the source of the shot!
The air around him stirred faintly as countless droplets of water condensed from all directions.
then shot toward the attacker like a volley of arrows!
A hundred meters away, the black-clad assailant—hiding behind a car—
watched in disbelief as his target conjured a floating water shield to neutralize the bullet.
Without hesitation, he snapped his rifle shut and prepared to flee.
This was no ordinary target.
Hesitating even a second could mean death.
But before he could turn and run, he heard the sharp whistle of projectiles closing in.
A veteran of countless frontline battles, he sensed danger instinctively.
His body moved before his mind could react—he ducked behind the car!
Ting!
Clang!
Thud-thud-thud!
The water arrows struck—
and the once-intact car was instantly riddled with holes.
Some of the arrows pierced clean through the vehicle.
one even tearing through the attacker's shoulder!
"Damn it!" he cursed through gritted teeth, clutching his bleeding shoulder.
He struggled to his feet, intent on escaping.
when a massive sphere of water materialized in front of him,
lifting him into the air and slamming him hard onto a car!