First Encounter with the One-Eyed Commander

"Forget it, let's not dwell on it. We need to reevaluate that little girl. As long as she doesn't do anything bad, we can consider her on our side by default. Also, her identity needs to remain confidential—that's your responsibility," Nick Fury said after hearing Coulson's report. He then remembered something else, "By the way, didn't Tony arrange for that girl to attend a high school?"

"Yes."

"Good. Our people have already taken over that high school. Don't forget our plan. With the number of superpowered individuals increasing, we need a base to train future talent. This is the perfect opportunity to use that school as a training facility."

"Understood."

Completely unaware, Tohka slept soundly, not knowing she was now under intense scrutiny. Not only that, but her high school had been taken over without Tony noticing. This wasn't surprising, though—even someone as capable as Tony couldn't compete with the machinery of a nation. Of course, even if she knew, she wouldn't care; after all, the school wouldn't be entirely made up of superpowered individuals. It would still primarily consist of regular people. (For reference, think of the setup in the American animated series Ultimate Spider-Man.)

The whole of America was abuzz. By the next morning, newspapers everywhere were reporting on last night's battle. Although nothing about Tohka was revealed, the chaos caused by Tony and Obadiah Stane was significant.

Unlike Spider-Man, Tony was far too flamboyant to hide his involvement. Almost all the evidence pointed directly at him, forcing him to prepare for a press conference early in the morning.

Of course, Tohka didn't get involved in the commotion. She always kept her distance from such things. Besides, neither Tony nor anyone else pressured her—her identity was far too difficult to explain.

"This... well, this…" Holding the note in his hand, Tony did something no one expected. He casually tossed the paper aside and flamboyantly declared to everyone, "Yes, I am Iron Man."

"....."

Tohka was speechless. This guy just loved showing off. Trouble was sure to follow—after all, the armor could be replicated and wasn't an ability unique to him. The military bigwigs were bound to step in, using every trick in the book to demand the armor from Tony.

"This guy… such a headache. Oh well, time to get ready. Once this whole mess is over, I'm planning a long trip. Maybe I'll meet some interesting people along the way." Tohka wasn't worried about the ensuing disputes—it wasn't her concern. Her identity hadn't drawn any attention, and no one was coming to trouble her.

What puzzled her, though, was that her sword energy had clearly been witnessed by countless people. Yet it seemed like an invisible hand had deliberately erased the incident, with the media focusing entirely on Tony and ignoring her attack.

As Tohka was packing her belongings, she clearly felt someone enter. However, this person wasn't Tony, Pepper, or Rhodey—it was someone whose presence she had never sensed before.

"Who are you?" Anyone who could bypass Tony's firewalls and enter this place unnoticed was definitely no ordinary person. Tohka immediately instructed JARVIS to alert Tony and went out herself, wielding her sword, Halvanhelev.

"So, you're Tony's little girl? Nice to meet you. By the way, I've already blocked the signals here—you won't be able to send anything out." As Tohka stepped out, she saw the one-eyed man calmly sipping tea in the living room. She couldn't help but admire his nerve. Did he not fear that she might just kill him on the spot?

Even though this man had taken enhancement serums, he was no different from an ordinary person in front of Tohka. At the same time, she felt relieved—his appearance didn't surprise her in the least.

"Who are you, one-eyed black uncle?" Well, as she let out a sigh of relief, Tohka's IQ seemed to drop. Fury was speechless. Based on prior reports, it wasn't hard to deduce her personality, but this sudden change of demeanor? Was this what they called gap moe?

"Aren't you curious about how I got in?" Fury was stunned as Tohka turned and walked away. As the head of intelligence for so many years, he'd encountered all sorts of people. His strong presence usually demanded attention, but being outright ignored? That was a first.

"I can sense you're not hostile, but my intuition tells me you equal trouble. So, I'm staying away from trouble," Tohka said, tilting her head as she looked at the one-eyed man. Without hesitation, she spoke her mind about Fury.

"..."

Even Fury was momentarily at a loss for words. From years of experience, he could tell Tohka wasn't lying, but did she have to be this blunt?

Having spent years dealing with schemers and devious individuals, Fury found himself completely at a loss when faced with Tohka's pure straightforwardness.

He could only stare blankly as she returned to her room and slammed the door behind her, leaving him awkwardly standing alone in the living room.

At this point, Fury couldn't help but admire Tohka's nerves. What if it had been an actual villain? Then again, with her abilities, ordinary villains wouldn't stand a chance... Fury found himself contemplating whether he should assign people to watch over Tohka full-time. Not because he was worried about her safety, but because he was afraid she might be tricked and end up counting money for her swindlers.

Knock, knock. Frustrated, Fury realized he couldn't just stand around. The reason he had come so early was to meet Tohka while Tony wasn't around and get a sense of what kind of person she was. He hadn't expected to be outright ignored, so he reluctantly stepped forward and knocked on the door.

"Come in." Tohka's voice came from inside. Hearing this, Fury opened the door and walked in. He began observing her room and was surprised to find that it lacked any cute or girly elements; instead, it was incredibly minimalist.

However, the room was a bit messy, with clothes scattered across the bed. Thankfully, Tohka had the sense to stash away her more personal items, avoiding any awkwardness.

"Are you planning to travel?" Seeing this, Fury quickly figured out what Tohka was up to—it was a little too obvious.

"Yeah, I've been stuck here for so long. I want to go out and have some fun. Staying here has good food and drinks, but it's just too boring."