115. Farewell — The Tornado Event

"If you need anything, just go see my assistant, Pepper; as for everything else, as long as you aren't planning to blow up Stark Tower, do whatever you want!" That, in short, was what he had said.

After smiling and repeating Tony’s words to Pepper, Joss successfully managed to secure a sum of funding from Stark Industries' accounts to start his own company. To avoid having Tony show up to personally thank him out of excessive excitement, Joss dropped off his combat suit and the Mercy Greatsword with Obadiah for maintenance before promptly departing Stark Tower.

"As for the remaining time... I suppose I should go say goodbye to everyone. Who knows how long it will be before I can return after this trip."

Steve and the others were currently in the Soviet Union, but he had heard they would be back in a few days. Whether they would make it back in time for his departure via teleportation, however, was another matter. Regardless, they weren't the type to be overly sentimental, and since Joss wasn't gone forever, leaving a note would suffice.

Beyond the Avengers, Joss didn't have many acquaintances. Laura was at Professor X’s school for mutants, where it was inconvenient to disturb her, and he and Gambit shared only a transactional relationship—hardly friends. Come to think of it, the only people he truly needed to say goodbye to were those close to him.

No, even Black didn't need a formal farewell; she was the first to know about this, and afterward, she was more concerned with what she was going to eat. Joss could do nothing about someone becoming increasingly carefree.

...

After wrapping things up, Joss arrived at the room where he had performed the modifications on Tatsumaki when they first met. Since she didn't have a permanent residence, he had lent her this space, which made it easier for him to stay in touch.

When Joss teleported in, he didn't encounter any "fan service" moments involving bathing or changing. Instead, Tatsumaki was attempting to cook using her telekinesis—a form of training for precise control. However, Joss’s sudden arrival startled her, causing her to blow the core of the induction cooker, sending sparks flying through the entire circuit!

Fortunately, Joss reacted quickly, cutting the main power, while Tatsumaki used her telekinesis to compress the affected items into a small mass, preventing further damage.

"Tsk, can't you give a little warning before appearing out of nowhere?" Tatsumaki complained, looking at the mess of a kitchen.

"It was clearly your own lack of focus that caused you to panic at a minor surprise. If you were in the middle of a battle and made a mistake because I suddenly appeared, that would be a serious problem!" Facing her accusation, Joss shamelessly shifted the blame.

"Uh... is, is that so... No! Even if that's true, it has nothing to do with you popping up right behind me!" Tatsumaki, who had been momentarily stunned by his logic, suddenly latched onto the real point.

"Uh..." Joss paused, then decisively said, "Actually, it's like this..." He explained his departure as concisely as possible. "So, that’s about it. In a few days, I’ll be going somewhere very far away and won't be back for a while."

Tatsumaki narrowed her eyes at him. "Well said, but what does that have to do with what you just said?"

"Tsk, why are you still hung up on such a small detail in this situation..." Seeing his attempt to force a change of subject fail, Joss’s expression slumped like an old pumpkin. "Forget it, that’s not important."

Tatsumaki threw herself onto the sofa, clasped her hands behind her head, and looked at him casually. "And honestly, where you go has nothing to do with me, right?"

"Sure, sure, it has nothing to do with you. But if you run into any trouble later, you can go to this place and look for this man named Tony Stark, or any of these people." Joss pulled out a slip of paper with the names and contact information of a few people who could help. While the information wasn't critical, it was still confidential, and sending it over the network wasn't appropriate. Of course, what he gave her were open secrets among superheroes, such as the fact that Stark Tower was the Avengers' base; nothing of real importance was compromised.

Tatsumaki used her telekinesis to take the slip, glanced at it, and looked at Joss with impatience. She sighed, "Hah... what kind of trouble would I have? And why are you getting so meddlesome? You know you're really annoying, right?"

Joss twitched his lips, but didn't take her attitude to heart. She had been a girl living in the slums; for her, trust and affection between people weren't easily built. Even if their relationship was barely passable now, it was like keeping a stray cat at home—the fact that she hadn't clawed him yet was already a sign of progress.

"Fine, that’s all there is to it. Also, regarding Lilith and Black, whom I mentioned before—if you need help, you can ask them, and if they run into trouble, please look out for them as well."

"Alright, alright, I get it. Just hurry up and leave already! You ruined my meal, and now I have to go out and buy something else to eat." Tatsumaki turned her body toward the back of the sofa, waving him off without a hint of warmth.

"Right, right... I'm off then?" Seeing she had no desire for further conversation, Joss could only shrug and leave.

"..."

After the sounds in the room had completely faded, Tatsumaki remained in the same position. She stared blankly at the back of the sofa for over ten minutes before slowly whispering to herself.

"You had better come back safely..."

Tatsumaki pressed her small, fair hand against her chest, where her heart was beating wildly, radiating an unsettling anxiety. "Damn it... why do I care so much about his problems... If he doesn't come back, wouldn't our contract be voided..."

Suddenly feeling an inexplicable surge of anger, she flicked her hand, using her telekinesis to lift the wreckage of the induction cooker and slam it into the ground as if to vent her frustration!

"..."

However, just as it was about to hit the floor, she forcibly stopped it, letting out a soft sigh as she looked at the chaotic kitchen.