[101] : A Strange Atmosphere

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"Did she have a fight with her father?"

Inside the room, no longer afraid, Clarice looked at the silent Jean and her father, John, and turned to Roger to ask.

Roger spread his hands and replied to Clarice, "Kind of, but it's complicated."

"So... did her father hate her because of her powers?"

Clarice asked again.

Roger thought for a moment before answering, "Not exactly…"

Jean Grey had awakened her powers even before the car accident, and before that, her parents never abandoned her because of her abilities. Instead, they treated her like any normal parents would, teaching her and helping her learn to control her powers.

In that regard, Jean Grey's parents were more open-minded compared to most parents of mutants; at least, they didn't treat their child like a monster.

However, Roger looked at Clarice, whose eyes were filled with curiosity, and asked, "Did you have a fight with your parents because of your powers?"

"No…" Clarice replied in a low voice. "It's just that they... handed me over to those strange soldiers... saying it was to cure me…"

"I see."

Roger roughly understood what had happened.

Clarice's parents, like many other less open-minded parents of mutants, saw her abilities as a kind of illness.

Even though the concept of mutants had already been revealed, and mutants and humans were in a stage of peaceful coexistence, it was unrealistic to expect all humans to understand this and live harmoniously with mutants.

Just as there were mutants who wanted to create a world for mutants only, there were humans who hated mutants and even viewed them as monsters.

Moreover, Clarice's power seemed to be teleportation. If she accidentally opened a portal that only partially transported an object, it could easily end up cutting the object in half.

Such a dangerous ability would naturally make others fearful if they ever saw it in action.

Roger, however, hadn't expected Clarice's parents to trust the military. The U.S. military wasn't like some beloved military.

The relationship between the military and the people in this country was adversarial, so for Clarice's parents to hand her over to the military... Did they have someone in the military in their family? Or were they military members themselves?

Roger was slightly curious about Clarice's background, but what intrigued him more was whether she might be that brief character, Blink, from the original story.

In X-Men: Days of Future Past, among the future X-Men team members, there was a mutant who could open portals. Her codename was Blink.

Blink's powers were similar to Clarice's, creating portals through the release of purple rings, allowing passage to other locations.

However, since the future had already changed, Roger wasn't sure if Blink would still become part of the X-Men.

And even if she did become an X-Men, the age of the Blink in the movie didn't quite match the age of the little girl in front of him... After all, in Days of Future Past, Blink still looked fairly young.

"Clarice, is it alright if I call you that?"

After a moment of thought, Roger asked Clarice.

Seeing her nod in agreement, Roger continued, "Where did you escape from? How did you manage to escape? Can you tell me?"

"I… I'm not too sure. I just remember that they took me to a really, really big building... and then... I felt very scared, so I ran out…"

Clarice spoke softly.

She clearly wasn't someone who could vividly recount her experiences, unable to describe her ordeal in detail to Roger.

Roger didn't push her. He gently patted her on the shoulder and said, "Alright, I think I understand. You should get some rest now. Sleep well, and when you wake up, everything will be fine."

"You... you won't leave me, right?"

Clarice asked in a barely audible voice.

To her, Roger and Jean Grey were the only mutants she had ever met. Before them, she didn't even know the concept of a mutant existed.

Now, having finally met others like her, others who were kind to her, Clarice was deeply worried that they would disappear while she slept.

Roger was about to reassure Clarice when Jean Grey walked over and said to her with a smile, "Don't worry, we won't leave. You can stay here with peace of mind."

Perhaps she used her telepathic abilities while speaking, as Clarice soon calmed down, obediently following Jean Grey to the room she had arranged for her, and then fell asleep.

Roger stayed with them the whole time, and once Clarice had drifted off to sleep, he stood at the doorway and asked Jean Grey, "Did you finish talking with your father?"

"Yeah, he agreed to let us stay here tonight."

"Just for tonight?"

"...Just for tonight," Jean repeated softly.

Roger hadn't used his super hearing to eavesdrop on Jean's conversation with her father, so he didn't know what they had discussed. He didn't ask about it either, simply nodding and saying, "Looks like we'll need to find a place to stay tomorrow."

"Sorry, you really didn't have to come with me."

Jean Grey said to Roger.

Roger wasn't from this world, had no connection to mutants, and had only known Charles for a few days.

Even though Roger acted as if he was familiar with these X-Men, he was ultimately a stranger who had no obligation to follow Charles' instructions and stay by Jean's side to take care of her.

"Maybe it's because I'm bored."

"Bored?"

Jean Grey was stunned, her expression turning a bit strange as she looked at Roger.

She thought he would say something about 'responsibility' or 'commitment.' Even if Roger had said he stayed by her side to win her favor, Jean would probably have believed it.

But she never expected his reason to be 'boredom.'

"Yeah, boredom. You know, my previous world was one with advanced technology, at least thirty years ahead of your current world.

"It was a world with a wide variety of entertainment options, movies that made you feel like you were part of the story, games that could immerse you in another world... But in this world, none of that exists, so of course I'd feel bored."

Roger spoke frankly.

Jean Grey imagined the world Roger described and said, "That sounds like a wonderful world... A world like that probably wouldn't have conflicts between mutants and humans, would it…"

"Not necessarily."

As Jean fantasized, Roger cut her off bluntly.

"Every world has its own unique troubles. You've seen my powers, so you should know, my world wasn't all that peaceful either. It's just recently started to calm down."

"In your world, are there many people with abilities similar to mutants?"

"Quite a few, about as many as there are mutants. But these people are different, they, including me, are essentially 'products' created by humans. But that's all in the past. Now, that world is moving in a better direction, which is why I'm traveling through other worlds."

Roger's world, the world of The Boys, no longer needed his constant attention.

Under the leadership of Tek Knight, with Winter Soldier and Thor providing support, and with the alien technology Roger had given them, there was no immediate risk of the world descending into chaos.

Jean Grey sat beside the sleeping Clarice, contemplating the world Roger had described for a long time before she suddenly asked, "Can I... see it? That world?"

"Huh? Oh… You want to see it through my memories, right?"

Roger quickly understood what Jean Grey meant.

Jean Grey nodded, "Is that okay? Don't worry, I won't look into any other memories…"

"It's not that I'm against it."

With the mental barriers set up by Strange and his own training in mind control, Roger wasn't worried about a young Phoenix like Jean Grey breaking through those defenses and peering into his mind.

Even Charles couldn't do it; a Phoenix without specialized mental training certainly wouldn't be able to either.

But... Roger couldn't shake the strange feeling in the air, though he couldn't quite put his finger on what it was.

Just as he was contemplating this, Roger noticed that Jean Grey had already moved closer, raising her hand near his head, as if waiting for his consent.

The odd tension seemed to grow even thicker, and with things having reached this point, Roger couldn't refuse any longer. He said to Jean, "Go ahead, I'll give you a glimpse."

He then closed his eyes, allowing Jean to place her hand against his forehead.

...Why does it feel even stranger now?

With that thought in mind, Roger sensed an unfamiliar psychic presence gently entering his consciousness.

Unlike Charles' psychic power, this presence felt like a small creature cautiously exploring a predator's territory in Roger's mind, careful not to trigger any reaction.

Roger recognized this as Jean's consciousness. He guided her through his mind, showing her what he intended for her to see.

The entertainment-saturated world of The Boys, the cosmic exploration of the Marvel Universe…

Scenes of fascinating movies, encounters with alien life, and an expansive, vibrant world slowly unfolded in Jean's mind, delivering a profound impact to someone who had lived in the 1980s.

Her eyes gleamed with wonder, and her mind wandered through countless images.

She saw a new world.

After an unknown amount of time, Jean reluctantly withdrew her hand from Roger's forehead, half-jokingly saying, "I... think I understand your boredom now. Compared to your experiences, this world really is dull."

"Right? That's why I have to find something to keep myself busy."

"Should I say... I'm honored?" Jean Grey asked with a smile.

From Roger's memories, she had learned about his true identity, how he was a superhero in one world and a savior in another.

With such a hero by her side, it would make anyone feel honored, right?

Jean Grey gave a genuine smile, and Roger smiled back.

But as they kept smiling, Roger began to feel that something was off.

He finally realized what the strange atmosphere he had sensed earlier was all about.

Could it be... just possibly...

That he was... actually... flirting?

...

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