"Aerith? Could you please describe her specifically? Which research institution or government department does she belong to? Her 'abilities,' if the eyewitness accounts are true, what is their nature? Are they some kind of energy shield? Holographic projection? Or psychological warfare devices?" The Daily Bugle reporter pressed on, each question sharper than the last.
Tony shook his head and raised his hand, making a gentle but clear gesture to interrupt the reporter's rapid-fire questioning. "No institution. No department. She doesn't belong to any list or chart you know of." He paused, seemingly organizing his words on how to describe that incredible scene to a group of empiricist reporters. Finally, the corner of his mouth curled into a faint, self-deprecating, and incredulous arc as his gaze swept across the countless pairs of skeptical and inquisitive eyes in the audience.
"If I said," his voice was not loud, yet carried a strange persuasiveness, "that she might... actually know a little magic. Would you believe it?"
"magic?!" "Witchcraft?!" "magic?!" The scene was in an uproar! Expressions of astonishment, absurdity, and disbelief appeared on many reporters' faces, and some even let out snickers. This was too bizarre, far exceeding their imagination of "unknown technology" or "secret Agents."
"I know this sounds like the setting of a third-rate fantasy novel, or that I, Tony Stark, have finally gone crazy." Tony shrugged, not surprised by the audience's reaction, but the seriousness in his eyes did not diminish. "But sometimes, reality is more unreasonable and bizarre than the wildest stories. She possesses some power... that our existing scientific framework cannot yet perfectly explain or quantitatively reproduce. Warm light, healing pain, purifying bad things." He tapped his left chest, right over his heart, with his finger again. This action held a distinct symbolic meaning at this moment. "I, personally, can testify to this. The effect... is immediate, and better than you can imagine."
He did not give the reporters a chance to continue pressing for details about the "magic girl," quickly pulling the topic back and making a concluding statement: "As for more details, that is her privacy, and I have neither the right nor the intention to disclose it. I can only say that this World is changing, becoming broader and more complex than what we learned in classrooms or read in newspapers. Some people and things beyond our conventional understanding are beginning to emerge. Perhaps it's not worth making a fuss about, and certainly no need to rush to label them as 'threats' or 'monsters.' What we need to do is open our eyes to see, use our brains to think, and learn to distinguish between kindness and malice. And Aerith," he emphasized his tone, his gaze firm, "what she brings, without a doubt, is the former. It is salvation, it is healing, it is hope."
He paused, leaned forward slightly, pressed his hands on the edge of the podium, and made his final statement: "So, yes, I am Iron Man. Last night, I stopped a crisis triggered by an internal traitor that could have had widespread repercussions. In this process, I was fortunate to receive help from a special friend. Stark Industries will completely bid farewell to the past and turn a new page. Our future will focus on clean energy, sustainable development technology, and innovations that make the World a better place, no longer associated with weapons and killing. That is all I have to tell you today."
"Any more questions?" He looked around the room, putting on that familiar, distant, polite smile again, signaling that questions could continue. But everyone could hear that the declaration regarding the identity of "Iron Man" and the basic facts had ended, and the fleeting glimpse of "Aerith" and "magic" had also been capped off by him as "friendly special help."
The subsequent questions were inevitably steered back to the company's specific future plans, the timetable for technology conversion, communication with government departments, and the legal details regarding the Obadiah Stane incident. The topic of "Aerith" and "magic" was like a small stone thrown into a surging wave of topics, stirring up a few eye-catching ripples, but it was quickly drowned out by more specific, more "realistic" discussions related to Iron Man. However, the seed named "magic girl Aerith" had already been planted by Tony Stark himself, sown into the information torrent of global media. It might be treated by most as just another eccentric tall tale from a genius billionaire, or it might be solemnly recorded by a few interested parties.
After the press conference, Tony left quickly through a dedicated passage, escorted by Happy and additional security personnel. Sitting in the back seat of his bulletproof luxury car, he took off his glasses and rubbed his brow, which was a bit sore from facing strong light and maintaining focus for a long time.
"Jarvis, comprehensive public opinion monitoring. Focus on tracking the dissemination paths and emotional tendencies of keywords like 'Aerith,' 'magic,' and 'healing.'"
"Analyzing major global news agencies, social media platforms, and deep web discussion boards... Preliminary results show: The 'Iron Man' topic occupies absolute dominant heat, with related discussions growing exponentially. 'magic girl Aerith' appears as a secondary strong association keyword, and the discussion heat is currently rising rapidly. However, sentiment analysis shows that over 65% of mentions carry a tendency of mockery, skepticism, or belief that this is a metaphor/code name. The S.H.I.E.L.D. encrypted communication channel received a highest-priority message three minutes after the press conference ended. Director Nick Fury is personally inquiring about all shareable intelligence regarding 'Aerith.'"
Tony looked at the city streetscape flashing by outside the car window, his fingers tapping unconsciously on his knees. "Reply to S.H.I.E.L.D.: Nothing to report at the moment. Tell Fury that when I finish cleaning up this mess at the company, I'll find him for a drink and talk about... the wider Universe. Also, connect me to Colonel Rhodes."
He needed to touch base with this Air Force friend, the future "War Machine." After all, with "Iron Man" making such a high-profile debut, the Pentagon and those generals must feel like a hornet's nest had been poked.
Meanwhile, in a small house on the quiet coast of Long Island, Artoria sat on the soft sofa, the television screen in front of her playing the final scenes of the press conference. Watching Tony frankly admit "I am Iron Man" in front of the cameras, and hearing him say "Her name is Aerith" and "she knows a little magic" in that half-true, half-false, yet protective tone under the reporters' aggressive questioning, the expression on her face was complex, a mixture of helplessness, amusement, and a trace of imperceptible emotion.
"He actually said it..." she murmured to herself, picking up the flower tea that Minerva had just brewed, at just the right temperature, and took a gentle sip. The tea fragrance was lingering, with a calming effect.
Beside her, standing as quietly as a shadow, Minerva adjusted the focus of her optical sensors and turned from the television screen to Artoria. "Publicly defining your abilities as 'magic' and describing your existence as a 'friendly special helper'—this strategy may be effective in the short term." Her voice was steady and waveless, analyzing the pros and cons. "It can simplify the public and official primary cognitive models regarding unconventional powers, transforming potential threat fear into controllable curiosity or novelty, reducing the probability of large-scale panic. But correspondingly, it will also significantly increase the attention on the 'Aerith' identity you are playing, attracting more parties, more targeted investigation and contact attempts, and may even include unfriendly solicitation or control attempts. Do you need me to immediately start comprehensively adjusting our peripheral information shielding strategy, counter-reconnaissance protocols, and emergency contact contingency plans?"
Artoria placed the teacup back on the saucer with a slight clinking sound. She leaned into the soft back of the sofa, casting her gaze toward the sparkling calm sea under the sunlight outside the window, and was silent for a few seconds.
"No need for major adjustments for now, Minerva." She finally shook her head, her voice returning to its usual coldness and composure. "Tony is using his own way to put a layer of... relatively harmless and even slightly romantic protection over me in front of the public. The word 'magic,' in the minds of the vast majority of modern people, is not much different from 'fairy tale,' 'hallucination,' or 'metaphor.' It automatically filters out a large number of serious, technical questions. He quietly shifted the focus from 'an unknown, potentially dangerous superpower user' to 'a mysterious, friendly helper.' This is much better than the several exposure scenarios we initially anticipated."
She turned her head to look at Minerva, the corners of her mouth slightly raised, revealing a hint of playful amusement: "Besides, he wasn't entirely wrong. To the scientific system of this World, isn't Aerith's power at this stage just about the same as 'magic'? As for the attention and investigation..." She felt the warm power flowing steadily within her body, resonating faintly with nature; it was the White Magic power of healing and purification that belonged to "Aerith," still abundant at this moment. "Let them pay attention. A 'friendly' girl who knows 'magic' is always easier to deal with than an 'unknown potential threat' with unfathomable abilities. Moreover, since the identity of 'Aerith' has already come to the forefront, perhaps in the future, at certain times, I can really appear with this persona and do some things that 'magic' should do."
She turned her gaze back to the television. The news on the screen had switched to a heated debate among financial experts about the stock price of Stark Industries. The era of Iron Man had officially kicked off in an incomparably flamboyant and dazzling way. And she, this "Aerith" who was personally certified by Iron Man and shrouded in a mist of "magic," seemed to have been pushed out of the quiet harbor unconsciously, swept into the vortex of this World that was accelerating into becoming bizarre, where heroes and crises coexisted.
A peaceful daily life was still what her heart yearned for, but the tides of fate had clearly begun to rise.
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