73 Tony Stark's Troubles [100 PS]

— Two hours later, California

As night fell, the transport plane smoothly landed at the Rhodes Island Industrial R&D base in Los Angeles.

As soon as the door opened, Kagura Hitomi sped out in her red Porsche 911, heading straight for Tony Stark's mansion in Malibu.

By the time Kagura arrived at the familiar seaside estate, the party was already in full swing.

Luxury cars were parked everywhere outside, and guests from all walks of life had gathered in the living room, enjoying Stark's hospitality.

Kagura parked her car, adjusted her outfit, and made her way into the birthday party.

To be honest, Kagura was a little nervous about attending the party. Socializing wasn't exactly her forte—breaking into Hammer Industries was much more up her alley.

Plus, she had the added responsibility of trying to lift Tony Stark's spirits.

'Ugh, so much pressure!'

But thankfully, the scene was much more orderly than she had expected.

Compared to the chaotic birthday parties she remembered, this one was actually quite normal.

At least Tony wasn't DJing in his Iron Man suit or drunkenly partying with half a bottle of whiskey, making a spectacle of himself by doing absurd things like urinating in his armor...

No, he was just sitting quietly at the bar in the center of the living room, seemingly lost in thought.

Kagura scanned the brightly lit room and spotted Pepper Potts standing alone in a corner, looking worried.

The expression on Pepper's face, watching Tony with a mix of helplessness and concern, was something only a mother might give to an unruly child.

It was clear she had a lot on her mind.

"Pepper!"

Kagura walked over to greet her.

"It's been a while, how have you been?"

"Wow, Hitomi! Long time no see."

Pepper's face lit up with a sweet smile.

"You look gorgeous tonight."

"Thank you for the compliment, Pepper," Kagura smiled in return.

"You're standing here by yourself—does the party not suit your taste?"

"No, the party is great," Pepper replied, shaking her head, but then sighed heavily.

"It's just... Tony..."

"What's wrong with Mr. Stark?" Kagura asked, genuinely concerned.

"I've heard he's been having a tough time lately—what happened?"

Kagura turned her gaze toward Tony, sitting alone at the bar.

If the Tony Stark from her memories, poisoned by palladium, was the reckless one, treating his birthday party as if it were his last hurrah, the Tony in front of her now was eerily quiet.

This birthday celebration had been carefully arranged by Pepper and Natasha Romanoff for Tony, with guests mostly consisting of close friends, Stark Industries employees, and famous models from various fields.

It was, in every way, designed to match Tony's interests.

But right now, Tony didn't seem to care about the countless beautiful women around him.

In fact, he didn't even allow any Iron Man symbols or elements to be part of the party.

He just sat there, holding a glass of wine, staring vacantly at the lively scene.

His face was expressionless, his eyes filled with a gloomy, distant look that tugged at Kagura's heart.

"Tony seems to have fallen into some extreme anxiety," Pepper said, following Kagura's gaze.

"He's in a tough spot. Maybe he feels that if Iron Man can't protect the world, then his entire life's purpose is up for questioning."

"I've tried to talk to him, but he won't listen."

Pepper sighed again.

"Ever since Monaco, he's been locking himself in the workshop day and night, even sending Mark 2 directly to Rhodey."

"What?!" Kagura gasped.

"He... gave it away? No, seriously?"

"Yeah, I thought he was going to keep the technology," Pepper said, her tone heavy.

One major failure had been enough to knock a hero off his pedestal.

At Monaco, Ivan Vanko didn't manage to kill Tony Stark, but he did succeed in "killing" Iron Man.

But from another perspective, Iron Man wasn't so easily destroyed.

What weighed on Tony wasn't the powerful enemies like Ivan or the overwhelming media pressure.

It was his own sense of responsibility and pride.

Giving Mark 2 to Rhodey was likely a result of the immense pressure from the safety committee, the military, and his own inner turmoil.

If Iron Man had won in Monaco, things might have been different.

But in this world, Iron Man lost.

The pressure for Tony to hand over the Iron Man tech was only growing.

"I understand the situation now," Kagura nodded.

"I'll try talking to him, Pepper."

"Please," Pepper said, gently patting Kagura's silver hair.

"If it's you, maybe Tony will listen."

Kagura gave a small wave to Pepper and walked over to Tony.

"Mr. Stark, good evening," she greeted him.

Tony turned slowly, as if he had just snapped out of a trance.

"Oh, hey, good evening, Hitomi," he said, forcing a smile.

"Long time no see, you look even more beautiful."

"Thank you for the compliment, Mr. Stark. May I sit here?" Kagura gestured to the seat next to him.

"Of course, go ahead," Tony replied.

"So, what do you think of the party?"

"The party feels great, Mr. Stark," Kagura said.

"But I noticed the guest of honor doesn't seem too happy."

"Hmm..." Tony sighed deeply, falling silent for a moment.

"Thanks for your concern, Hitomi. I'm fine," he said, putting on a weary smile.

"I'm just a little tired. But I'm okay. You enjoy yourself."

"You certainly look fine, Mr. Stark," Kagura said, lightly patting his shoulder.

"But Iron Man has problems—big ones, right?"

Tony turned to face her, locking eyes for a moment.

"Iron Man's problems... I'll figure something out. Hitomi, thank you for defending me at the hearing."

"The creation of Iron Man was partly my doing, Mr. Stark," Kagura smiled.

"If this superhero has trouble, I'll do my best to help him."

When she said "superhero," she emphasized the words slightly.

"A superhero, huh... Ha..." Tony chuckled softly.

"Maybe I should reconsider this whole Iron Man thing."

................

[TL Note]

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