Marvel Cybernetic Girl

— Malibu, California, Night.

After dinner, Tony Stark continued to bury himself in his underground workshop.

At this point, Kagura Hitomi didn't even have a chance to tell him that Obadiah was working on the Iron Man armor.

Sigh... Is this what they call a tech geek?

Looks like she'll have to wait for a better moment to tell him.

She definitely needs to let Tony Stark know that she's working undercover for Obadiah, or there could be some strange misunderstandings later.

Communication is the best way to avoid that, after all.

Right now, Kagura Hitomi was sitting on the living room sofa with her laptop, helping Pepper Potts with some work-related matters.

Even though it wasn't working hours, the last couple of days had been especially tough for Stark Industries.

With just one command from Tony Stark, the company's stock plummeted by 56.5%, and military orders were stalled.

The massive losses caused by this situation had pushed the company's future revenue projections to the brink of bankruptcy.

Countless department reshuffles and layoffs had kept HR and legal departments busy, and public rumors were spreading that Stark Industries was about to implode.

Though Tony Stark might proudly say, "Military contracts are just one part of Stark Industries," the huge profits from defense trades were actually what kept the company's other operations afloat.

Of course, Kagura Hitomi wasn't worried about the future of Stark Industries. She knew Tony and Pepper would pull the company through this.

But, looks like overtime work is in her near future.

Ugh... I hate 996 (working 9 am to 9 pm, six days a week)...

"Miss Potts, we have a visitor," Jarvis suddenly spoke up from the living room. "Visitor's name: Obadiah Stane."

Oh, it's that "brilliant" guy, huh?

Kagura Hitomi thought to herself, based on the script, he was probably here to deliver pizza.

I love pizza!

"Please let him in."

Pepper stopped working. "Not unexpected at all. Jarvis, help me call Tony."

"Understood, ma'am."

As expected, the door opened, and Obadiah walked in holding a large box of pizza.

"Hey, Miss Potts, have you had dinner yet?" Obadiah greeted them with his ever-friendly smile. "Oh, and Hitomi, I heard you like all kinds of food?"

Mmm!

Come on, just say I can eat! Why be so roundabout? Being a foodie is a charm, okay! Hmph!

"Hey, Obadiah, you're still here this late. It must've been a tough day for you," Pepper stood up to greet him.

"You know it, Tony's doing his thing," Obadiah sighed. "I just got back from New York, and I brought some pizza from there. Want to try some?"

"I'll pass. Hitomi, do you want any?" Pepper smiled and waved at Kagura Hitomi. "It looks pretty good."

"Mm."

Kagura Hitomi glanced at the core energy indicator on her holo UI.

[Core Energy: 92%]

Not hungry, but since it's delicious pizza and I won't gain weight, why not?

"Sigh... it's nice not to worry about gaining weight," Pepper remarked.

"Hehe," Kagura Hitomi playfully stuck out her tongue.

"By the way, where's Tony? Is he buried in his basement, or is he out having fun?" Obadiah asked.

"I'd like to discuss how to save Stark Industries with him."

"Oh, of course," Pepper nodded.

"I already had Jarvis try calling him, but there was no response. I'll go get him."

Pepper turned and headed downstairs. "You stay here, Hitomi. Please entertain Mr. Stane."

"Sure, no problem, Pepper!"

Once Pepper left, only Obadiah and Kagura Hitomi remained in the living room. Obadiah walked over to the piano and began playing an impromptu tune.

"Hitomi, about the work suggestion you gave me... I decided to take it," Obadiah said, pausing for a moment. He used a subtle approach to refer to the plan of taking Stark's disintegrating military division and transferring it underground.

Although there were only two of them in the living room, both knew Jarvis, always present, was likely watching and recording their conversation.

"Mm."

Kagura Hitomi continued with her work, softly responding, "Looks like I was able to help?"

"Of course," Obadiah continued to play a beautiful melody and praised her, "Thanks to you, the board members didn't lose their minds. At least I'll sleep well tonight."

"It's my pleasure," Kagura Hitomi nodded in gratitude.

"By the way, about the company's new direction, the arc reactor—what do you think?"

Obadiah increased the volume of the piano and made a somewhat suggestive remark. The arc reactor in the lab wasn't really usable. Its massive size and negative energy-to-output ratio made it more of a decoration than anything functional.

If Obadiah wanted to create something like the Iron Man armor, the biggest issue to address would be energy.

And the most suitable energy source was, of course, Tony Stark's miniaturized arc reactor.

"Maybe the technical team should continue developing from the large arc reactor in the lab. That might be a good option," Kagura Hitomi subtly redirected Obadiah's train of thought.

Don't ask me, I'm not making an arc reactor (confident).

"Mm, that's worth considering. But I'd like to hear Tony's thoughts first."

Rather than the long-stalled arc reactor project, Obadiah seemed to be placing his hopes on Tony Stark.

"What? Do you need to ask me something?" At that moment, Tony walked up from the basement. "Good evening, Obie."

"Ha, look who's here!" Obadiah laughed, "Want some pizza? I brought some from New York."

"Thanks, Obie." Tony took a slice from the pizza box. "Sounds like it's been a tough day?"

"Yeah, Tony, thanks to your brilliant moves," Obadiah said sarcastically, "But if you were here, it might not have been so bad."

"You told me to keep a low profile."

Tony took a bite of his pizza. "So, I kept it low."

And the two began their usual banter...

[TL Note]

Hey there! If you're enjoying this, be sure to check out

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