Chapter 239

"Surprise!"

Just as Gwen was about to ring the doorbell, Eren opened the door with a smile to greet her.

Gwen's lips curved up in amusement. "Let me guess—you foresaw what time I'd arrive."

"Of course. And I've also prepared a hearty breakfast," Eren said, stepping aside with a gentlemanly gesture.

"Perfect timing then. I brought some strawberry pudding—it can be dessert."

"You made the pudding yourself? I'll be sure to give your cooking a proper taste test."

As the two stepped inside, the front door softly clicked shut behind them on its own.

"…Huh?"

Noticing the change in lighting, Gwen turned in surprise to glance at the now-closed door.

An automatic door?

She didn't remember it having that feature before.

Eren chuckled at her puzzled expression. "You're wondering when I upgraded the door, right?"

Gwen shook her head with a smile. "At first, I was. But then I remembered—you probably did it after that incident with the cultist who worshipped the spider god, right? Makes perfect sense."

After that episode where Helen was abducted, her father George had been terrified. He even moved them into a new house afterward. So compared to that, Eren simply upgrading his door was entirely reasonable.

In Gwen's eyes, Eren was simply being responsible for his own safety.

Eren smiled. "Actually, I didn't just upgrade the door. Technically, I leveled up the entire house."

"You upgraded… the house?"

Gwen looked confused.

Eren grinned and called softly, "Gobble."

The floor before them rippled like a whirlpool. Then, a creature resembling a magical trash can popped up from beneath the floor.

"Oh my God!"

Gwen gasped, covering her mouth.

After several seconds, she finally composed herself and looked at Eren in amazement.

"This is…?"

"He's called Gobble."

Eren patted Gobble's head, prompting a contented squirm from the creature. "You could think of him as the spirit of the house. After that cultist broke in, I came across some interesting resources… and decided to upgrade my old place. Gobble was born from that."

"Don't underestimate him. He can amplify the structural strength of the entire house, and in emergencies, he can harden the walls, doors, and windows to a steel-like toughness. With him here, not even an armored car could break through my door."

"Seriously?" Gwen looked at Gobble with newfound respect, trying to picture it tanking an armored vehicle.

Eren laughed. "Not long ago, Tony Stark was attacked in Chinatown. His bodyguard brought him here, and that guy with the energy whips? He was nearly kept out by Gobble. That whip could slice clean through a car, but Gobble held him off."

Gwen, who had asked George for details about the Chinatown incident because of Eren's involvement, was stunned.

"That's incredible. Can I pet him?"

"Of course."

…

A few minutes later—

Gwen was seated at the breakfast table, absently stroking Gobble again.

"It's just… amazing. I used to think magic and mythology were fiction. But now, it seems like it all might be real."

Human-faced spiders.

Cultists of dark gods.

Mystical diviners.

The horrific worms in Harlem.

That divine six-winged angel…

Everything that had happened over the past few months had completely shattered Gwen's worldview.

Fortunately, she was adaptable.

And now, she genuinely liked Gobble—feeding him buns with enthusiasm.

"Magic and the divine have always existed," Eren said. "Ordinary people just aren't aware."

Then he added, "By the way, Gobble has already recorded your presence. Next time you visit, he'll open the door for you."

"That's so convenient!"

She grinned. "So this is the surprise you promised yesterday?"

"Not quite…"

But before Eren could explain—

Ding dong. Ding dong…

The doorbell rang.

"Looks like you've got visitors," Gwen remarked.

Gobble quickly appeared, carrying a screen that displayed the front door's camera feed.

Standing outside was a tired-looking Natasha, with Steve Rogers at her side.

"It's her!"

Gwen immediately recognized the striking red-haired woman from Midtown High. "She's the agent who handled the mushroom incident at the dance, right? You said her name was Natasha. Do you think she's here because of that?"

As a member of the student council, Gwen was especially invested in the incident. Many students had been hospitalized because of those spores—including herself.

Eren shook his head. "Hard to say. That Natasha woman's always got a mountain of trouble following her. Who knows what she wants this time."

With a sigh, he stood up. "Come on. Let's see what this agent wants."

…

Ding dong. Ding dong…

As Natasha rang the doorbell again, Eren's front door opened automatically.

She immediately spotted Gwen walking beside Eren.

Glancing at the two of them, then checking her watch, Natasha raised an eyebrow. "Looks like I'm interrupting something?"

Before she could tease further, Eren coolly replied, "You are. Ms. Natasha, you've interrupted breakfast with my girlfriend."

Grrrrrgle~

As soon as Eren said "breakfast," a loud rumble came from behind Natasha.

Steve Rogers looked sheepish. "Sorry. I guess hearing the word 'breakfast' reminded my stomach that it's empty."

Gwen, who hadn't really noticed him until now, looked over—and her eyes widened.

"Captain?!"

Thanks to years of patriotic PR, Captain America's image was still widely recognized—even decades later.

While Gwen wasn't an obsessed fan, she'd been to the memorial museum countless times with her dad George as a kid.

She quickly corrected herself. "Sorry, it's just… you really look like the Captain America in all those exhibits. For a second, I thought—"

"If the museum version is named Steve Rogers," Steve said, smiling slightly, "then yes, that's me."

He had no reason to hide the truth. After all, Eren already knew who he was.

But Gwen's eyes filled with questions, and her expression turned a bit odd.

That look made Steve feel a little awkward.

Eren chuckled. "You're not mistaken, Gwen. This is the real deal—America's star-spangled legend. Due to… special circumstances, our Captain here spent the last several decades frozen in ice. He's only recently been thawed out. Very few people know."

Gwen's eyes widened further. It was like a character from a history textbook had walked into her living room.

Remembering the sound of Steve's stomach earlier, and her dad's unwavering admiration for the Captain, Gwen whispered to Eren, "Should we invite him in for breakfast? If my dad ever found out we left the Captain outside hungry, he'd probably lose his appetite."

"Of course."

With a warm smile, Eren said to their visitors, "Well then, what are you waiting for? Come in already."

…

Soon enough—

Natasha and Steve were seated at Eren's table.

Steve couldn't help but glance around in surprise—he hadn't expected such a massive breakfast spread for just two people.

Meanwhile, Natasha studied Eren silently.

Did he foresee our arrival and prepare accordingly?

If Eren could hear her thoughts, he'd reply—

[You're overthinking it.]

…

"Thanks," Steve said as he and Natasha accepted their breakfast.

They both dug in eagerly.

After all, since their arrival at the hidden dam facility, neither had eaten anything. They were starving.

Once Natasha had finished most of her meal, Gwen asked softly:

"Ms. Natasha, did you come today because you found the person behind the mushroom incident?"

Natasha replied, "We've already identified the suspect behind the spore outbreak. He fled New York before we could catch him, but we've tracked his movements. It won't be long before we capture him."

The mushroom spores, while dangerous, could be handled with preparation.

With their growing experience dealing with paranormal incidents, S.H.I.E.L.D. had things under control.

That explanation was mostly for Gwen's benefit.

Then Natasha turned to Eren.

"But that's not actually why we came today."

"To be honest… we're here to ask for your help, Mr. Eren."

"Of course, if you're willing, we're prepared to offer you a reward worthy of your talents."

(End of Chapter)

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