The journey from Los Angeles to the small town Natasha Romanoff had ntioned was a long one—over a thousand kiloters.
Despite the wide, sparsely populated wilderness of the Arican West, where the car could easily reach speeds of over 100 km/h, rushing would defeat the purpose of a "trip."
So, Tony Stark planned the trip to stretch over two days, allowing plenty of ti for everyone to enjoy the srizing landscapes and the rustic atmosphere along the way.
That night, the group stopped at a small tavern on the side of the road to rest.
The tavern was quiet—so quiet, in fact, that the only patrons were Tony Stark, Kagura, and their companions.
The owner was friendly, greeting every passing traveler with a smile and offering the best food he could provide.
"You're Iron Man, aren't you?" the owner asked mysteriously, leaning toward Tony as he served their dinner.
"Sotis, yes," Tony replied without missing a beat. "You've got a good eye."
"Wow, you're the real Tony Stark!" The owner sat down beside them and started chatting.
"It's no wonder. You're always surrounded by beautiful won, and you really look the part. I'm a huge Iron Man fan."
"Really?" Tony said with a grin. "I'm honored to et a fan here."
"No, it's an honor for to host Iron Man and his family in my tavern," the owner replied with a smile.
"Thank you, Mr. Stark. You've brought peace and stability to the world. People should appreciate you, immortalize your na on monunts, and spray-paint your image on street corners."
"Well... that might be a little too much," Tony chuckled. "I'm a pretty humble guy."
"Humble, of course," the owner said, rubbing his hands together with excitent like a child eting their idol.
"I'm truly honored, Mr. Stark. Could I ask for an autograph?"
"Of course, no problem." Tony turned to Kagura.
"Hey, do you have a pen?"
"Oh, let check." Kagura rummaged through her bag and pulled out a marker.
"How about this one?"
"As long as it writes, it's good enough," Tony said, then turned back to the owner.
"Where would you like to sign?"
"Right here!" The owner lifted up his chef's apron.
"If I could get your autograph on this apron, I'd consider it a lifeti achievent!"
"Sure thing." Tony smiled and quickly scribbled his signature on the apron.
"It's no trouble at all."
"By the way, Mr. Stark, could I ask you sothing?" The owner leaned in eagerly.
"If you don't mind..."
"Go ahead, what do you want to know?"
"When you're in the Iron Man suit..." The owner hesitated.
"Uh... how do you, you know, go to the bathroom?"
"Pfft!" Kagura burst out laughing at the question.
"That's an excellent question, my friend," Tony said, clapping the owner on the shoulder.
"Want to demonstrate? It might take so ti for my suit to fly here from a few hundred kiloters away, though..."
"No, no, it's just a curiosity," the owner said, waving his hands in embarrassnt.
"Actually, the Iron Man suit cos with a water filtration system," Tony explained.
"The water it filters is even drinkable."
"Wait... really?" The owner's eyes widened. "That's incredible!"
"Any other questions?"
"Well... who's stronger, you or 'Flashblade'?"
Kagura froze, her eyes widening. What kind of question was that?!
"Of course, Iron Man is stronger," Tony replied without hesitation.
"That little girl can't even fly."
"Yeah, that makes sense," the owner nodded in agreent.
Iron Man...
Kagura scowled. 'Wait until I can fly. Then we'll see what he says!'
After dinner, Tony and Kagura sat on the steps outside the tavern, gazing at the vast night sky.
With the city lights far behind them, the stars appeared especially bright under the natural, deep-blue sky.
The distant Milky Way shone with countless twinkling stars, slowly drifting across the sky, casting a soft silver veil over the land.
"Mr. Stark."
"Mm?"
"Do you like the stars?"
"The stars?"
"Yeah." Kagura smiled, her eyes shining.
"Look, those magnificent stars stretch across the distant universe. Countless stars are burning, creating and destroying, and across millions of light years, civilizations rise and fall. Sowhere behind this silent canvas, in places we'll never know, there might be countless legends unfolding right now."
"When I was little, whenever I looked at the stars, I used to wonder, 'Are we alone in the universe?'"
Tony Stark gazed at the stars and sighed. "Or are we just one of many civilizations, destined to join the cosmic family eventually?"
"But as I grew older, when I looked at the stars, I began to feel more concerned."
"Concerned?"
"Yeah," Tony said with a sigh.
"If we can manage the petty conflicts among ourselves, maintain stability in our society, then what about the threats from outer space?"
"When you look at the galaxy, you'll never know how many eyes are watching you, Hitomi."
He gently ran his fingers through her silver hair.
"It might not sound romantic or beautiful, but to , there could be countless worlds in that sky that could pose a threat to humanity."
"I see..." Kagura murmured softly. "When you stare into the abyss, the abyss stares back at you."
"Of course, until they appear, the stars are still beautiful, the view still srizing."
Tony shifted the mood with a smile. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, as long as Iron Man's here."
"No, Mr. Stark..." Kagura shifted closer and lightly leaned her head on Tony's shoulder.
"You've got , Mr. Stark. Whatever threat cos, I'll face it with you."
"Thank you for the sentint, Hitomi," Tony said.
"But I have to say, you're the one I want to protect, not the one I'm planning to fight alongside."
"Heh, I know." Kagura smiled. "But I can help, Mr. Stark. I've had military training!"
"Maybe I should make you your own suit of armor."
"No, before that, you should make one for Pepper."
"Hmm... that's a good idea."
"Right?"
"Yeah. Then every ti she gets mad at , I can have her wear the suit, and we can settle things with our fists. It's much more convenient, and definitely fits Iron Man's style."
"Pfft, careful, you might end up getting a beating from her."
"Really? Do all you girls get so violent?"
"Who knows? I'm just a charming, easy-going kid."
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