No matter how reluctant Nick Fury was, the concert still proceeded as planned.
One had to admit—when it came to promotion, Stark Industries, as a titan of this world, was incredibly effective. At the very least, most of America already knew about the event.
"Miss Tohka, hello, long time no see."
At that moment, a sexy red-haired beauty found Tohka backstage.
"Black Widow, looks like that guy Nick Fury still doesn't quite trust us. Also, what's that thing on your ear?"
Knowing who sent her, Tohka didn't give her a warm welcome. Of course, she had no reason to kick her out—just as Nick Fury had no reason to stop them from holding a concert, she had no reason to chase away the person sent to observe.
"Oh, uh, it's just a communication device."
Glancing at the clunky thing on her ear, Black Widow hesitated a moment before explaining. Unfortunately, not even she believed her own words. Nowadays, communication tech was highly advanced—this thing looked too outdated. One look and anyone could tell something was off.
"I think it's gear you developed to deal with Miku Izayoi. But do you really believe that thing will work?"
Tohka stared at her with dead-fish eyes and exposed the device's purpose in one line. She was skeptical of its effectiveness. Miku Izayoi controlled people through sound, but Tohka believed the real mechanism was sonic waves.
To truly avoid being controlled, they'd need to create a vacuum. And even then, it wouldn't mean Miku Izayoi would be completely powerless.
"You don't need to worry about that. By the way, where is Miku Izayoi? She is tonight's star, after all."
Black Widow didn't argue—this was only a prototype. They hadn't tested it thoroughly yet, so even Nick Fury wasn't confident in it. Of course, she couldn't just admit that; it'd be too embarrassing. So, she simply changed the subject.
"She's still getting her makeup done. But I didn't expect there to be so many people already, even with an hour to go."
After casually answering about Miku Izayoi, Tohka looked through the backstage monitors into the exhibition hall. It was already packed.
The place was already packed. But despite the wait, no one was impatient. After all, this was Stark Industries' showroom. With Tony's flamboyant style, the venue was naturally filled with extravagant flair. Everyone was busy admiring the displays and latest tech.
"Don't tell me it's just you. Hawkeye's probably here too, huh?"
If Tohka guessed right, Hawkeye was lurking outside. His archery was near godlike—in her opinion, only DC's Green Arrow could rival him. Of course, that guy wouldn't be here. After spending so much time in this world, Tohka had noticed that only Marvel characters existed here—not a single DC figure had shown up.
"You guessed it."
Since Tohka had figured it out, Black Widow didn't bother to deny it. After all, they weren't here to fight, so her knowing about Hawkeye's presence wasn't a big deal.
"Obviously. Fury only has you two who are suitable. As for Spider-Man and the others—they're still too young. When it comes to handling emergencies, they can't compare to seasoned agents like you two."
She wasn't exaggerating. Even including herself, she couldn't match Hawkeye and Black Widow's experience. The only reason she was stronger was because of her sheer power.
"Mm, you're here too."
Just then, Tony arrived in a suit, accompanied by Pepper.
"Long time no see, Tohka."
Pepper gave Tohka a warm hug. Unlike Tony, she really treated Tohka like a daughter. She wasn't young anymore, and although she had been married once, she didn't have any kids. At this stage of life, she truly wanted a child. Tohka, though powerful, usually acted just like a regular kid. At most, when she threw a tantrum, her destruction level was just a tad higher than the average child's.
"Of course. After all, Miku Izayoi is now an artist under Stark Industries."
Hearing Tohka's comment, Tony proudly chimed in. Even though Stark wasn't an entertainment company, they were massive—signing a few entertainers was easy. When Miku Izayoi decided to debut, she wrote down Stark Industries as her managing company.
Tony then greeted Black Widow before glancing outside and clicking his tongue in admiration.
"You've really done well. I originally just wanted to see what you were capable of, but I didn't expect you to operate this smoothly."
"Obviously."
Tohka shamelessly admitted it. She could tell Tony had been holed up in his lab this whole time, not paying attention to what they were doing. He was a total recluse—otherwise, he wouldn't spend so long tweaking his armor.
Clearly, he was dragged out by Pepper today. Since Tony was always focused on his suits, he handed the company over to Pepper. Tohka and the others worked through various channels, and though Pepper surely knew about it all, she never interfered.
"Looks like everyone's here."
At that moment, Miku Izayoi, fully dolled up, stepped out. She immediately spotted the group. She was familiar with Tony, and she'd seen Pepper several times recently. So, she warmly greeted everyone.
"Hello, beautiful lady. Tonight's your night to shine—"
Well, Tony had toned it down a lot, but he still couldn't help flirting when seeing a beauty. After Pepper shot him a glare, he promptly shut up.
As for Tohka—she was completely stunned.
Miku Izayoi had already been pretty, but now, after dressing up, she looked like a goddess. Her elegant gown perfectly showcased her figure—especially her bust, which was even fuller than Tohka's and exposed halfway. Tohka couldn't help but drool. If the setting allowed it, she'd have leapt at her right then and there.